Into the Light
by DETaylor
Summary: Bella Swan has always loved to hear stories about her family's past from her grandmother.  After meeting Edward Cullen, Bella wonders just how long they have really known each other.  And how long will they have together before tragedy strikes?
1. Chapter 1

**Well hello, lovelies! I have finally decided to post this little piece fiction, but before you read, I have a short AN I would like to share. **

**This story has a bit of the paranormal to it, with ghosts and past lives and such. I had originally written it as an original story, but after reading a ton of Twilight fanfiction, decided to change the names and post this as my first full length fanfic. I don't have a beta at the moment, so if you come across names like "Kate, Daniel, Lizzie," or any other name that seems out of place, please forgive my typo.**

**Also-I do not own Twilight or any of the characters. I do however, own a pretty pink Dell laptop with which I love to read and write fanfiction!  
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**Now without further ado...**

**BPOV:**

For as long as Bella could remember, her Grandma Swan had been a spinner of yarns, a teller of tales. She loved to tell stories about her family's history. She told her grandchildren about her own grandparents meeting on the ship as they emigrated from Wales to America in the 1800's. About Grandpa's ancestor coming to the new world in 1640, and fighting with the Indians when they tried to burn down his barn. She told about the three brothers, Oliver, William, and Jake who bought 500 wild acres in Washington State in 1792 for fifty cents an acre. They cleared it themselves and built three houses, two large and majestic, each with its own barn and big enough for two families each, at least. Both homes had wide, wrap around porches and thick, luscious yards. The third house was a tiny little home, humble and modest. It only had a little kitchen that opened up into a cozy living area with a fireplace, and two bedrooms. It had been Bella's home since she was born. Grandma lived in one of the big houses and although the barns were long since gone and the farmland had been sold to real estate developers, her greatest pride was that her family still lived in these two house. She was almost as knowledgeable as any history teacher, and twice as entertaining. She encouraged Bella's love of history and vivid imagination and Bella turned them into a career as a writer.

Grandma Swan and Bella spent hours together in Gram's warm, little kitchen while she told about adventures she and her late brother, Kenneth, would share. Sledding down a two-mile long hill, but only doing it once a day because then they had to walk two miles up the hill to get home. Walking three miles to school in such freezing temperatures that Kenneth's hands were frost bitten and bleeding by the time they got there. Bella heard them all by the time she was a teenager.

There were stories that she was hesitant to share, though, and those were the ones Bella heard from her own father, Charlie. Stories from Grandma's teenage years about her sneaking out to see a boy that she wasn't allowed to date, or another one about her going on a date with one boy in the afternoon, changing her clothes and going out with a different boy that evening.

"Yes, the one in the evening was Grandpa," she told Bella's cousin, Rosalie when she had asked if one of the suitors was her grandfather.

A favorite amongst all of the grandkids was a tale about her son, Garrett, Rose's father. He and a group of friends decided to grease the neighbor's window screens with oil one Halloween when they were kids, and the parents of the boys had to clean the screens.

"He was never allowed to go out on Halloween again, after that. Richard from down the road came up to spend the evening with him every year because he wasn't allowed to go out, either," Grandma finished.

"But I thought he didn't do anything, Gram, you said he was just _with_ those other boys," Bella asked, as she cleared Grandma's lunch plate. She still used the formica topped kitchen table that her mother had used. Today she sat with her cold, wrinkled hands wrapped around a plastic tea mug. It was warm for early November, but she caught a chill easily.

She nodded, "yes, but he knew they were causing trouble, and he stayed with them. And I had to help clean up his mess."

Bella smiled, "I see. Was he mad about having to miss every Halloween?"

"Well if he was, he never showed it. He knew it wouldn't have done any good to complain. He could have complained till he was blue in the face, he still would have been staying home."

Bella laughed and Gram smiled a tiny fragile smile. Gram was eighty-one years old and although her body seemed to be growing more fragile by the day, her mind was still sharp as a tack. At that moment they heard footsteps in the woodshed that was attached to the kitchen, "Oh, Rosie must be home. That you, Rosie?" Grandma called to her still closed door.

Bella's cousin pushed her way in the door, her long, blond hair whipping across her face from the ever present wind, and her arms filled with shopping bags, "yeah, it's me. The grocery store was busy today. They were out of that bread you like, Gram, so I got you this," she held up a loaf of wheat bread in a green bag, "is that okay?"

"Yes, that's okay," Grandma wouldn't want to be disagreeable, even if it wasn't okay. She was always thankful when Rose, or anyone else went out to get her groceries.

Bella hopped up to help Rose with the groceries. Even though Rosalie and Bella were cousins, they were very close, almost like sisters. Bella could tell Rose anything and vice versa. It helped that she lived just a half mile away, here in the big house. She lived upstairs and helped take care of Gram, who lived downstairs.

"Hey, Bella. Oh, Jasper wants me to ask you how Fred is?"

Bella made a face, then laughed, "Fred has been quiet lately."

Gram furrowed her eyebrows condescendingly, "did you name that man Fred?" she tsk'd at her girls.

"Well I couldn't just keep calling him 'my ghost'," Bella reasoned.

"Oh, no," Rose joked, "people might think she's crazy."

Bella laughed. She had grown up in the little red house with her parents, Charlie and Renee. Her parents separated when she was ten, her mom moving across town. When Bella was twenty, her mother remarried and moved to Phoenix. Her father remarried a year later and bought his wife a new house closer to her children in La Push. That left Bella alone in her house, but that was okay. It was paid for, so she had no mortgage or rent. Bella liked being alone, too. There was no one except Fred to interrupt her while she was writing, and she could come and go as she pleased.

Growing up, Bella was the only one in the house who believed that it might be haunted. Her parents were far too busy with their own dramas to encourage her stories of footsteps and whispers, but Bella would set something down only to find it someplace she didn't put it, like the bathtub. Shadows would move, but only out of the corner of her eye. Bella once saw a special on "Unsolved Mysteries" that said that writers, artists, and children are more sensitive and therefore more aware of ghosts than most people. No one believed her when she mentioned that, either.

But with all of that activity, she had never seen a ghost, until about a year ago. She was sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop in frontt of her, the same position she always had when she writes. Bella had just looked around because out of nowhere she got goose bumps and the feeling that someone was watching her. She saw a movement out of the corner of her eye, which was normal for her house. But this time, for the first time, when she looked toward the movement, there was a man. He was standing in the doorway to the spare bedroom, just to the left of the fireplace in the living room. It had been Bella's bedroom when she was young. She froze, surprised to realize that it was not really out of fear, but out of shock. She stared at him and he stared back for the shortest of seconds, then his transparent figure disappeared. The man had been tall, but not outrageously so. Built like a laborer or someone who was used to hard work, his frame had looked imposing in the narrow doorway. After that, she saw him a handful of times, always dressed the same, standing in the same place. The only thing Bella ever had time to register before he evaporated like a puff of smoke was his blue baseball cap that was pushed back onto his forehead revealing big, dazzling green eyes. She didn't know why those green eyes stood out so much or why she stupidly found herself thinking about those eyes in quiet moments when she was alone. Immediately, she had told Rosalie and Grandma about him, and called him 'Fred' so she wouldn't have to see the rest of her logical family roll their eyes, if they happened to be around.

"I haven't even heard any footsteps outside my bedroom at night, like I used to," Bella told them now, "he must be tired."

Rose laughed as they continued to put away Gram's groceries, but Grandma looked thoughtful, her delicate brow wrinkling over her ancient eyes, "I wonder who that man is," she mused, "he must be a relative, or someone who knew our relatives." Bella wondered briefly if she wanted it to be Bella's grandfather.

Grandma looked into the distance for a moment as if she were seeing Fred in the air, "what else did you say he was wearing?"

"I don't know. He disappeared too quickly, but I remember his clothes were dark colored. Black or navy blue, maybe."

"Who lived there before Bella's family, Gram?" Asked Rose as she opened a can of soda and sat down at the table with them. She reached behind her and took a large shoebox from the counter as she spoke. It was a light greenish color with black silhouettes on the sides. It looked like it was from the 1950's. Knowing Gram, Bella thought, it probably was.

"Well, it sat empty for a few years, but before that, my cousins lived there a short time. My mother's sister, my Aunt Marie lived there with her husband for a little while after they was married, but that was when I was real young," she concentrated, "I don't remember who was there before that."

They all considered for a few minutes, but as usual, no one had an answer. Rose broke the short silence, "Bella, do you want to look at these old pictures with me? I was helping Gram clean out her closet yesterday and we found this box, look at these," she said excitedly. She too inherited a passion for the family's history from their grandmother. As she spoke, she pushed the box toward Bella and scooted her chair closer.

"I hadn't seen this box in years. It belonged to my mother, Grandma Prescott," said Grandma, "I would have thought it was gone for good."

Bella and Rose both dug through the box, passing on each picture to Grandma for her inspection. The deeper into the box they dug, the older the pictures became. Right on top, were baby pictures of both Bella and Rose on color film, then the photos turned black and white. There were pictures of both Charlie and Garrett when they were young. Seeing their fathers in footie pajamas holding toy guns in front of a white Christmas tree made them laugh. And they exclaimed at the picture of their Grandfather with a pet monkey! Who has a monkey for a pet, anyway, Rose wanted to know. Deeper they dug. They found a wedding picture of a pretty young woman with glasses and a dashing young man with black, wavy hair. They both knew without asking that it was their grandparents. They had seen that one many times. Gram still had one like it framed on her dresser.

Grandma made a comment after each picture she looked at, "there's Charlie and Garrett," she noted. Or, "oh, there's my father with his milking stool on. I don't know who took a picture in the barn." She had said disgustedly, but Bella peeked at her as she gazed at the picture of her late husband, and saw her eyes grow moist at some memory she didn't share.

Soon, they began to see pictures of people they didn't recognize. "Who's this Gram?" Bella asked, handing her a picture of a pretty young woman. She was standing outside by a tree, one hand resting on the trunk. The wind was blowing her long skirt tight against one of her legs and little wisps of hair had escaped the bun on the top of her head and blew across her face, "She looks nice." she noted. In most older pictures, you don't see a lot of smiling people, but this young woman was pressing her lips together in a mischievous grin, almost like she was trying not to smile and failing miserably. She was not looking at the camera, but at someone just to the photographer's left side. All in all it was a very casual photograph for a time when most photographs were a special occasion, and therefore very formal.

Grandma looked at the picture for a moment, "Oh, that's my Aunt Marie, Mother's sister."

Bella frowned, "I've never heard of her. Did she live near here?"

"Why yes, she's the aunt who lived there in your house, she passed away when I was about four or five," she remembered.

Rose held her hand out to see the picture, and Grandma handed it back to her, continuing on with her memory, "she _was_ very nice, I can remember that. She was happy and funny. All of us kids always wanted to be around her. All the boys around here had crushes on her, but most of them were too shy to speak to her. Except for Uncle Jake…" she trailed off into another memory of her own.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw Rose look from the picture she was holding to Bella's face and back again, "Bells, she kind of looks like you."

Bella wrinkled her nose, "what?" She asked, skeptically. She took the picture from Rose and examined it more closely. There was something there in the shape of the eyes and lips that might have been similar, "huh, I guess a little bit," she conceded, but then added, "she's skinnier than I am."

Gram reached for the photo again, and agreed with Rosalie, "I never noticed before, but I guess you do."

"Here, does this help?" Bella asked as she pulled her long, dark hair back into a ponytail and twisted it up to the top of her head, "I don't wear my hair up very often." As she said this, they both started.

"Bell, when you put your hair up, you looked just like her!" Rose exclaimed. Gram nodded her head in agreement, "and your middle name is Marie, too," she muttered, "that's weird." She was looking at another picture and handed it to Bella. This one was of the entire family, Marie's parents, sister and herself. The young woman that she assumed was Helen, Grandma Swan's mother, bore a strong resemblance to Grandma. The family was situated in an unfamiliar room with the three women sitting down, and the father standing behind his wife with his tall top hat in one hand and one hand on his wife's shoulder. He had a stern looking face, but upon examining the photo a little closer, Bella thought she could see a kindness and a sort of humor there in the twinkle of his eyes. He reminded her of her father. The mother was sitting tall and straight, looking very proper. The two teenage girls sat near their mother and Helen looked appropriately grim, as was the custom of photographs in their day. Marie, however, had a smile playing on the corners of her lips, amusement evident in her eyes, just the same as her father, probably much to the dismay of her proper mother. She was a pretty young girl with dark brown hair that was pulled up into a bun on the top of her head, a few little hairs escaping near her temples, as in the other picture. Bella imagined that if she took her hair down, it would cascade down her back in thick waves. Her smiling eyes were bright and wide open. She had a slim build that made her look graceful, even in the stillness of the picture. Bella could instantly see how boys were intimidated by her, as Gram had suggested, and she wondered how Jake had found the courage to speak to her. Was he possessed with uncommon self-confidence? Or perhaps he knew from the first glance that they belonged together.

"Gram, why haven't you told us any stories about Aunt Marie?"

Grandma thought for a moment, "Well now, I don't know. I do know all about her. When I was little, my mother would tell me stories about her. She loved her sister, and missed her terribly after she passed."

Beside Bella, Rose quietly sucked in a breath, "look at these!" She said breathlessly. In her hand was thin stack of small papers, each one folded in half. The top one had an M- written in an old style of handwriting. Rose opened the first letter and read.

_M-_

_ Since Robert and James left, I have been so much busier that I have not had as much time to talk to you throughout the day. I just wanted to remind you that I love you, and that all day long while I am working you are always in my thoughts._

_ Yours forever,_

_J-_

Both of the younger women sighed, "awe…" they looked at their grandmother who sat there a tiny, knowing smile on her face, and Bella could sense that she was gathering her thoughts in preparation of another tale. Rose handed that note to Bella for her inspection as she read the next one out loud,

_M-_

_I wish I could help you to see that five years is not so very long when you compare it with the span of a man's life. We have to wait for a little while to be married, but we will be married for thirty or forty or maybe fifty years. Think of it as a small price to pay for all the happiness we will have. For now, I get to see you every day and that is good enough for me. I trust your father. His reputation for being honest is known throughout the county. Just trust me, everything will be fine. _

_I am always so happy that your sweet face is the first thing I see before work in the morning. I can never have a bad day when that is the case._

_ All my love forever, _

J-

Rose pouted slightly, "why aren't there any men like that anymore?" she asked.

"Just because you haven't met one doesn't mean there aren't any," Bella told her.

"Have you ever met any?" She asked, knowingly.

Bella shook her head with a smile on her face. They had both had bad luck in love. Bella's thoughts drifted to Mike. They had been together for three years and Bella left him six weeks before their wedding. Her mother had cried. "They don't get any more perfect than that," she had admonished, "he's good looking and rich and he loves you." Bella had tried telling her that yes, he was a great guy, but she didn't think that she could spend the rest of her life with him. Renee then accused her of spending too much time writing fairy tales, that she would not ever see a man and realize immediately that he was the love of her life. She also told Bella that she had to spend more time in the real world. Bella was only able to roll her eyes.

"Don't read any more, I'll just get depressed!" Bella jokingly complained.

Rose ignored her and prepared to read a third, "this must be one of the first."

_M-_

_Thank you for your letter. I must admit that when you knocked on my window last night, you startled me quite a bit. I just couldn't imagine who would be trying to get my attention at that time of the night. You are bold and brave, and unlike any young woman I have ever known and that is one of the reasons that you have captured my heart, but please be careful, my love. If your father catches you writing notes or sneaking out of the house in your robe at night, he will surely not allow us to be together, because he will think I am a bad influence, as if anyone could influence you! _

_That being said, I also must tell you that you look beautiful in the moonlight. Do you know that I have never seen you with your hair down? When I first saw you standing outside my window, I though you were an angel come to take me to heaven. _

_Please try to be good and act as your mother and sister say you should, in front of polite company (However, I hope that you would feel free to be yourself around me). I will give you this note as I come in to work in the morning. I am always glad to see you sitting on the porch, your eyes look especially lovely after a night of sleep._

_ All my love forever,_

_ J-_

Bella smiled to herself and Grandma cocked her head to one side curiously as she looked at her, "I know that look Bell, that's the look you get when you get an idea for a book."

Nodding, she answered, "this one is writing itself."

Rose was sitting forward in her chair rereading that third note with her chin in one hand and a wistful smile on her face and Grandma must've seen this as an opening, because she abruptly began, "As a young woman, Marie was quite pretty. Not a beautiful girl, like Eleanor Wilcox, down the road, but pretty enough in her own way. Mother says that she was happy and bright, and I remember myself always wanting to be near her. When she smiled at me, it made me feel like we had a secret, just the two of…" She broke off and looked at Bella, "I just can't get over how much you look like her. Your smile is just the same. I can't believe I never noticed it before. Anyway, she was quite opinionated too. Not a good quality in a time when women and girls were supposed to be seen and not heard. But when she had something she wanted to say, she would say it. She was punished often for it, but Mother said that her father loved his girls more than anything, and she wasn't punished as much as she perhaps should have been.

"When Mother and Aunt Marie were young girls, 15 or 16 years old, or so, Oliver Cooke asked for mother's hand. I see the look on your face, but that's how it was in their day…girls married young, and not always for love. But my parents were in love. She had always had a crush on my father, and every Sunday at church, they would sneak peeks at each other when they thought no one was looking. Of course, my grandfather was a very smart man, and he saw everything. He approved of my father because his family owned a very successful farm in a nearby county.

"Now, Aunt Marie had her own opinions on the subject. She was not in love with anyone, and would not marry anyone just because she was _supposed_ to. She would just as soon stay in this house as an old maid, than marry for convention's sake. Grandfather had simply asked her if she had anyone in mind for a husband, he was joking I think. Mother said he was a jolly type of man. Well she told my grandfather what she thought, standing right here on this porch. The farm hands were just heading out for the second milking. I guess it was about 6 in the evening. Even though Grandfather loved his daughters, he was a proper man and was not happy to have his employees hear his daughter speak this way to him and my mother tried to get her to calm down and go inside, at least for the time being.

"But mother said that Marie just stood her ground, 'I don't care if your men hear me,' she argued, 'I'm not just going to go off and spend the rest of my life with some man that I don't even care about, and have his children, just because I'm supposed to. It's all ridiculous!' Mother said the hired men were peeking looks at the situation out of the corners of their eyes, trying not to smile. They all knew how she was, and a good many of the boys around here wished they could be the one to tame her. But although she was polite to everyone, she had had no interest in any of them, yet." She paused to catch her breath. Then she looked at Bella and chuckled. Bella's eyes were wide, and she was so caught up in the story that she was leaning forward in her chair.

"I'm starting to think it would make a very good book." she was already picturing the characters and the plot.

"Well, we'll see what you think at the end. Let's see. Mother says that this evening, after Aunt Marie received a whipping for her behavior, you know, raising her voice to her father, especially in the presence of other adults, she was sitting on a tree swing that used to hang from that tree down yonder, reading a book for her lessons, the smaller tree, closest to the driveway. It was just a dirt path then, of course. The girls went to school until they were 14, but then grandmother taught them at home. She told mother later on that she was humming to herself as she read, and didn't hear anyone walking near her until he spoke.

" 'You know. You could probably save yourself a few whippings if you kept your thoughts to yourself.'

"Marie looked up and frowned at the man who had spoken to her. She recognized him as one of the newer laborers to help on the farm. He must have been on his way home. He lived with two of the other farm hands in the same house that you're living in now, dear. That's right. Now I remember." She nodded to herself, satisfied. Then continued on with the story.

" 'Keeping quiet doesn't help anyone,' Marie replied. 'If a person doesn't like what I have to say, he should just not talk to me. It's as easy as that!' She put her nose in the air, and supposed that this ended the conversation.

"Marie told Mother that she was surprised when the man just sat himself down on the ground next to her swing, and leaned against the trunk of the tree. Who did this man think he was, anyway? She didn't invite him to sit down next to her! 'I'm just saying,' he went on, 'you know, to keep the peace.' She said that he smiled an amused smile at her now, and even though it was dusk, she said that she could see that it was a nice smile, that his whole face smiled, just not his mouth.

"She couldn't help smiling back. And she sighed and shook her head. 'Helen is his favorite, she's always been a good girl. And if she can talk to him for me, he'll listen to her.'" Grandma paused to remind her granddaughters that Helen was her mother.

"This man laughed loudly, and Marie said she noticed how it echoed through the valley, back to her. She joined in. 'I think you are a very dangerous young woman!' he told her, 'do you always get your way?'

" 'Usually,' she smiled, smugly. And then Marie told mother that he looked at her, right in her eyes, and she looked back at him. Their laughter had died away, and it was silent outside as they stared at each other. She said that her heart began to thump loudly. Marie didn't know how long she sat there looking at this man she had never talked to, but when he cleared his throat, she suddenly realized that twilight had given way to darkness.

" 'Well, I guess I had better get back inside. My folks will be looking for me,' Marie started to get up, but this man had jumped up and was holding his hand out to her. She took it and he helped her up, off the swing, 'Thank you,' she said, and for the first time in her life, mother said, Marie felt shy.

" 'Would you like me to walk you back to the house?' The man asked.

"Marie laughed, a little bit offended, 'I think I am quite capable of finding it myself, even in the dark.'

"The man just kind of smirked, 'I have the feeling, Miss Woods, that you are quite capable of many things.' He looked right at her as he said this, and she realized that he hadn't let go of her hand. It felt warm and surprisingly gentle wrapped around hers.

"Marie was speechless. She just smiled and turned to walk toward the house, reluctantly pulling her hand from his. She managed to walk normally into the house, but as soon as she was through the door, she rushed up the stairs, ignoring her mother, who was trying to remind her to walk demurely, like a lady. She threw the front upstairs window open and stuck her head out, trying to see this man who had made her heart race and her palms sweat just by smiling at her. The moon was bright that night, and she could see a solitary figure moving down the lane, and hear a tune being whistled in the quiet night.

" 'Helen! Where are you?' My mother came out of her bedroom, already in her nightclothes. Mother said that Marie grabbed both of her hands and pulled her back into her bedroom and sat her on the bed.

" 'Helen, you know all the farm hands, don't you? You listen to father when he talks.' Mother said that Aunt Marie laughed and the sound was kind of hectic and crazy. Marie's eyes were wide and excited and she was smiling so much, it looked like her face was going to break."

Bella had her eyes closed, picturing this excited girl and her crush on her father's employee. She could almost see it in her head, almost like a memory of her own. Grandma continued.

" 'Yes, most of them, why?' Mother answered, 'Marie, what is going on? What's wrong?'

" 'Who is the newest one? The one who whistles all the time?'

" 'I'm not sure, Marie, Jake, maybe?' my mother wasn't sure, 'I haven't noticed.'

"Marie rolled her eyes, 'that's because all you ever notice is Oliver.'

"Mother said that Marie didn't sleep well that night. That she kept tossing and turning, keeping mother awake as well. And early the next morning, Marie was awake and dressed, even before anyone else was awake. She pulled a shawl around her shoulders to keep warm, since it was still spring, and sat out on the porch. She was just settling into a chair when the workers from your house," Gram nodded at Bella, "came walking into the yard. She could hear the one named Jake whistling again. She watched them stroll up the front lawn. Robert and James were looking at the ground. They lagged a bit behind Jake, who already had a spring in his step at this early hour. He smiled when he saw her sitting there on the porch, and when he got closer, he spoke, 'Morning Miss, you're awake early.'

"Marie couldn't resist rolling her eyes, 'the early bird catches the worm, Jake' she replied, dryly. Jake laughed his booming laugh, and Marie told mother that just the sound of it set her heart racing. She smiled in response."

Rose was still going through the box with the pictures and notes. She handed one to Grandma when she had stopped to catch her breath again.

"Gram, who's this?" she asked.

"Oh, that's Uncle Jake."

Bella frowned and held her hand out for the photograph, "Marie's Jake? The Jake in the story?"

"Mm hmm," she answered.

As Bella looked at the picture her breath stopped. She touched the man in the picture. He was a handsome man with crazy hair sticking out from under his hat, and wide, almond shaped, light-colored eyes. It was difficult to tell what color they were in the black and white picture, but they were definitely not dark. "Those eyes" she muttered to herself. Then her finger moved to trace the wide brim of the hat he wore.

Rose and Grandma looked at each other, a bit of confusion on their faces. Looking up, Bella handed the picture back to Grandma, "this is kind of what Fred looks like," she thought her voice sounded weak, but no one else seemed to notice. She didn't tell them about the eyes.

Rose was looking at another photograph and was reading the back, "Marie and Jake, on their wedding, June, 1922." She looked at the young couple in the photo again and said, "this Jake is good looking." Then she laughed, delightedly, "Bella, your ghost is a hottie!"

Chuckling, Bella rolled her eyes at her cousin. She had a one track mind, "why would you assume that Fred is Jake?"

"Well, you said they look the same. And he used to live in that house, right Gram?"

"That's right. I suppose it is possible."

"So then what happened, Gram?" Bella changed the subject from her green-eyed ghost.

She continued, "Well, he tipped his hat as he walked past her toward the barn and told her, 'have a good morning, ma'am. Maybe I'll see you at dinner.' Grandmother cooked a big afternoon meal every day for everyone on the farm, family and farm hands alike.

" 'Yes, I'm sure I'll be there,' she smiled. She said Jake smiled too, and continued out to the barn. Mother told me that she could see this whole exchange from the upstairs window, and that the other two workers just stared at the whole conversation with wide, unbelieving eyes. They had both been here for a couple of years now, and had never had the nerve to talk so casually to the pretty girl.

"Mother said that she wasn't sure if this would end well. Her father was kind, but would he approve of Jake for his daughter? She tried to tell Marie that as they prepared breakfast, speaking in whispers so their mother wouldn't overhear. Marie had just frowned and told her sister to mind her own business, that everything would be fine.

"At noontime that day, my grandmother was putting dinner onto the long kitchen table. Grandfather and the other men were just walking in the house, having washed their hands and faces at the pump that used to stand out in the yard. As Marie turned to set a bowl of some vegetable, maybe corn, on the table, Jake caught her eye and winked. Mother said she had never seen Marie blush such a deep red.

"They all sat and grandfather said grace, of course. I don't know why people don't say grace anymore," Grandma began, then caught herself before she could get sidetracked, "the women ate quietly and listened to the men talk about business, and the barn, and all the things that used to bore Mother and Marie. On this day, though, Marie paid attention to every word. And when Jake had been silent for too long, Marie wouldn't stand for it.

"During a break in the conversations, she spoke up, 'So, Jake, how long have you been working for my father? I can't seem to remember when you were hired on.' She smiled pleasantly.

"Mother said that she almost choked on her mashed potatoes. Grandmother and Grandfather looked at her sharply, and the other two farm hands were absolutely stunned that Marie was voluntarily asking questions of the new guy.

"Jake grinned widely, and he looked directly at her as he answered. Mother said that was odd, because none of the others were brave enough to look her in the eye. 'Well, miss, I was hired on at the end of March, so I guess it would be almost 2 months, now.'

"Grandfather started to speak, to turn the conversation back to business, but Marie was quicker, 'and what did you do before you came here?' Mother coughed to hide a giggle, and Marie kicked her under the table. No one else noticed, but Jake seemed to, because his eyes danced and he seemed amused.

" 'Well, I finished school almost 6 years ago, when I was sixteen, and my father wanted me to go on to college, to be a doctor like himself, but it wasn't for me. I didn't like being cooped up inside all day. I'd prefer to work outdoors in the fresh air.' Marie watched him attentively as he spoke, nodding politely now and then.

"Grandfather noticed, so he cleared his throat and nodded in agreement with Jake, 'a man's got to go his own way. Never could stand to be inside for any length of time, myself.' He changed the subject back to business, 'how about heading out to the auction with me next Tuesday, Jake?'

" 'Sure thing, Mr. Woods, I'd be happy to.' Jake spoke simply, and mother noticed that even being educated, he didn't feel the need to use an excessive amount of words. She liked that.

"Mother and Marie looked at each other, puzzled. Their father didn't need help choosing livestock. When he went to the auction, he either went alone or with Mr. Prescott who owned another farm nearby and was your grandpa's father. While the women busied themselves cleaning up after dinner, Marie tried to casually ask her mother why her father would do that. She smiled at Marie and said 'well, I supposed it's because he's a good, honest man and a hard worker.' Marie nodded, but didn't say anything."

Gram stopped for a moment and Rose refilled her teacup. As she dipped her teabag in the warm water, Bella noticed that she looked tired. She had told Bella earlier that she hadn't slept well last night, so Bella didn't press her for any more details on Marie and Jake just then, although she was itching to know more. Instead she helped her to the living room and into her favorite chair, where Bella was sure that Grandma would doze for a couple of hours.

Bella helped Rose clean up their lunch, told her that she'd be back tomorrow, and set off for home. She stepped lightly off the porch and walked down the driveway toward the road. Autumn was her favorite time of year. The air was crisp and cool but she was warm in her sweatshirt. The foliage on the trees had already turned yellow, orange, and a deep red, but now most of the leaves were lying on the ground. When she breathed deeply, she could smell the smell of rotting leaves mixed with cool air. Someone not far away had a fire going in a fireplace or a wood stove. Bella lingered for a long moment under the smallest tree next to the driveway and imagined Marie sitting here on a wooden swing, talking to Jake for the first time. She thought that she might know what the young girl was feeling, how her stomach did flips when he held her hand to help her up, how her skin tingled all over when he didn't let go right away, her anxiety as she waited to see him again. How long that night seemed to her!

The late afternoon was chillier than she thought, and she eagerly stepped through her front door, anxious to warm up. Bella frowned. The house seemed cold. She didn't want to have to turn on the heat, but it was supposed to get colder this week.

Bella thought of Jake as she walked to the thermostat to see what the furnace was set on. She was hesitant to turn up the heat, it was a waste of money to turn the heat on when she could just put on a sweater. Her father had taught her that. She turned up the thermostat slightly, but kept it low. Instead of turning it up high, she decided to light a fire in the fireplace, wondering how long ago it was that Jake had last lit a fire in this house.

Bella's mind was preoccupied with Marie and Jake, so she didn't bother to turn on the television. Instead she sat on the couch and pulled the blanket from the back of the chair around her shoulders. She sat still, listening to the fire crack and pop, and let her mind wander.

Who was this Jake? Where did he come from? Had he always lived in this area? Marie's history was easy to figure out, but Jake was a mystery. What happened with them? Were they able to be together?

Bella had warmed up now and was feeling drowsy. She wasn't sure when her musings had turned into dreams, but eventually, she was sitting up in front of the same fireplace. She looked down and saw that she was wearing a long, ankle length skirt with black boots, tightly laced up the front. She reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, but it was already pulled back into a tight bun on the top of her head. She looked around, confused, and that was when she noticed him standing next to the fireplace looking at her.

"What's wrong, Marie?" he asked, "you look confused." As he spoke, he walked to the couch, sat next to Bella and took her hand. Just his touch made her feel warm all over.

"I'm not Marie, my name is Bella," she said the words, but she was suddenly unsure.

He laughed, "of course you're Marie!"

As Bella looked in his green eyes a sudden realization hit her, "Jake?"

Jake' eyes went from amused to concerned, "yes. Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Her eyes became misty, and suddenly she was speaking before she could even think about the words, "I'm sorry, it's just that I've missed you so much!" Her voice cracked, and she leaned her face against his shoulder and started to sob.

Jake' arms were around her in a second, "I know, I know. I've missed you too. But it's all right now, we're together."

It didn't make any sense, Bella didn't think she knew this man, but somehow, she did know him. She knew him and loved him with ever fiber of her being. She threw her arms around him and wept miserably into his neck while he whispered comforting words into her ear. Finally, her tears ran dry. When she thought she could speak again, she pulled back slightly so she could look at him. His eyes were still anxious, but he smiled slightly. Part of her screamed that this was crazy, that she did not know this man, but there was another part that knew him and remembered him.

"Where have you been?" Bella asked him.

"I've been here…of course. Where else would I be?"

She frowned, "I'm confused. What's going on?"

Jake was smiling again, "you don't remember now, but you will. Don't worry, love."

Bella rested there on his shoulder with his arms around her. She didn't know how long she sat there with him, when she woke up. She was lying on the couch still wrapped in her old blanket, but the fire had burned down and she was cold again. Apparently she hadn't turned the furnace up enough. The house was dark, so she must have slept for several hours. Bella looked around, trying to see into the darkness. She felt like there was someone in the room with her, watching her and she shivered. What a strange dream, she thought, as she got up and turned on the light. A writer's mind trying to make sense of an old woman's stories, no doubt, and she laughed out loud at herself. Her laughing was cut short when she tried to walk into the bathroom. Just as she walked through the bathroom door, she felt a blast of cold air. Cursing under her breath, Bella rushed to close the window. But when she reached the window, she looked around in confusion. It was already closed. She spun around in a complete circle, confused.

"That was weird," Bella muttered out loud, and she made a mental note to ask Charlie to come down and check the seals on the windows before winter hit.

She had no idea what time it was, but it was dark outside, and she was still tired, so she figured she would just go to bed. She chuckled at herself again as she said out loud, "'night Jake, see you tomorrow." She heard a slight breeze whisper by her ear. Yes, she would have to get those windows checked.

**Thanks for reading and please review. I would love to know what you think, either good or bad...well, mostly good! :)**

**Here is something that I have been looking forward to...Recommendations:**

**Anything by CaraNo just owns me right now. She doesn't do angst very often and there is never any Bella/Edward cheating. She is also lemon royalty...I mean...why else do we read fanfiction? If you're looking for a great fanfic, check her out on my favorites list.**

"**What's up, Doc?"**

"**Oh, I'll Show You What's Up!" (What's up, Doc in Edwards POV)**

"**Isla de Cullen"**

"**Soulmates Feeling Belonging"**

"**It's a Sign"**


	2. Chapter 2

**Back again, my dears. I know this story starts out slowly, but don't worry. We'll meet Edward in the next chapter and things will start to take off from there. **

**When I originally wrote this story it was very "innocent", however I will be changing a bit here and there in order to deserve the M rating that I gave it.**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all characters mentioned. I own a coffee pot that gets used waayyyyy too much!**

Bella joined her grandmother for lunch again the next day. She clucked her tongue at Gram as Bella watched her prepare half a peanut butter and cream cheese sandwich and a small bowl of fruit cocktail.

"Gram, you need more than that to eat, don't you?" Bella wondered, sure that by now Gram was sick of hearing her grandkids trying to tell her how to eat.

"Oh, this'll fill me up just fine," Gram assured her, confidently.

Bella changed the subject when she saw her great-grandmother's shoebox of pictures and letters on the kitchen counter. She shoved her own peanut butter sandwich aside and reached for the box. The picture of Jake was lying on top. She felt a chill, but held it back so as not to give herself away. She had been trying to write all morning long, but her thoughts kept wandering back to Jake and Marie.

"I had an odd dream about Jake and Marie last night," Bella admitted, sheepishly. No need to add the fact that she was Marie in the dream. She didn't want Gram to think she was too crazy. But Gram didn't think Bella was crazy, she just laughed. So Bella continued, "I was actually hoping you would be able to tell me more about them."

"Of course, dear. My head is full of the stories. Mother used to tell me about them all the time after they passed away. Now where did I leave off yesterday?"

"I think it was the part where Marie's father had asked Jake to go to the auction with him," Bella helped her along.

"Oh yes, that's right. Well, Jake did go to the auction with my grandfather and they brought home a new calf that Jake had recommended. They also brought home two pigs," she laughed delightedly, as if she thought that was something funny, "Jake thought that maybe grandfather would like some bacon come fall, and Grandfather agreed.

"Mother told me that after that, Marie would always sit outside in the mornings waiting for Jake to come to work, just like that first morning, even during the coldest days of winter. And at dinnertime and at church on Sundays, they would often peek at each other when they thought no one noticed, just like Mother and Father. To Mother's surprise, her father never said anything, but he always asked Jake's opinion on things regarding the farm. Things he already should be able to decide with out help from anybody. And he began to put Jake in charge of different things here, even though the other two farm hands had been here much longer. The girls had no idea why he was doing this, but mother told me later that she supposed he could see what was going on between his employee and his youngest daughter and was sort of testing Jake to make sure he was as honest and good as he supposed." She paused for a long moment, and for some reason, Bella sensed that this was all she wanted to say today. Grandma's wrinkled brow furrowed, wrinkling even more. She looked tired again.

She surprised Bella by speaking again after a long moment of silence, "after Aunt Marie passed away, Mother would show me her pictures and read notes that belonged to her. Mother said they were from Uncle Jake, and that she could remember Aunt Marie sneaking out of the house every so often in the dead of night to run next door to your house and give her note to Jake. The next morning when he came to work, he would have one for her," she murmured, pointing at the shoebox that was on the table in front of Bella.

Bella thought about this in the silence that followed, and smiled slightly, a scenario creating itself in her head. For a moment, she had a fleeting vision of a pretty young girl sitting at an old writing desk, writing a note. Perhaps she had sneaked out of her parent's house to hand deliver this note, running quickly down a narrow, dusty lane, so as not to be gone too long. Maybe the one for whom this letter had been intended had opened his window and reached his hand out to receive it, noting how beautiful her face looked, flushed from the run, even in the moonlight. Bella smiled to herself. As soon as this current book was done, she would be getting started on a book about Marie and Jake. It was a charming idea.

A sudden idea came to Bella, "Gram, do you know where Marie's letters to Jake are?"

She looked up, her thoughts had obviously been elsewhere. Surprise crossed her face. She had never thought of this, Bella could tell. "Well, now, I don't know. They would be wherever Jake put them, I guess. After all these years, I'm sure they've been thrown away. Your father never mentioned finding them in the house."

Bella nodded, sure that she was correct. Still, she wanted to keep her eyes open. The idea of finding and reading those letters was starting to grow on her. She wanted to study these pictures and letters a little more, so casually, she gestured to the box that was still on the table, "umm, Gram, do you think I could take those to my house for awhile. I think I might write a story about Marie and Jake. It's a good love story so far, and I could use these letters in it, too."

Grandma smiled a tired smile, "but you haven't heard the end of it yet, Rose," she said, calling Bella by her cousin's name again. She had been doing that more and more lately.

She grinned, "Bella?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bella," she corrected apologetically, "I get all you kids confused."

"That's okay, I've been called worse."

"Yes, by all means, go ahead and take the box."

"I wonder what Fred will think of my letters?" Bella mused to herself.

Gram laughed a shaky laugh, "I thought you two decided it was Jake?"

"Rose decided it was Jake. I haven't jumped to that conclusion yet," she smiled at her cousin's impetuousness.

Bella studied her expression for a moment, "are you tired, Gramma?" She asked.

"Yes, a little. I woke up early this morning."

"Well then I'll go and let you get some rest. I might come back for lunch tomorrow. Will you tell me the end of Marie's story?" Bella began to feel a little lump in her throat when she asked that question. She remembered Gram saying that Marie died young.

"Yes, that will be nice, as long as you're not neglecting your work."

"Oh, no," she insisted, "I'm ahead of schedule."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then," Gram said.

As soon as she got home, Bella sat at the kitchen table and pulled out the letters and pictures again. The stack of pictures tipped over, leaving one exposed that she remembered looking at yesterday. She picked it up to study it, then held it closer. It was a picture of Marie and Jake together, taken on their wedding day.

Marie was sitting on a chair on her front porch, dressed in an ivory dress that her mother had probably made for her. It was long, and even sitting, it brushed against the floor. The sleeves were long, and the neck was high. Jake was standing behind her with a hand on her shoulder. He was extremely handsome in his dark suit with a light colored shirt. He had even shaved for the event. In all of the other pictures of him, he had a five o'clock shadow.

Her mother had probably wanted just one proper picture of the two of them.

Bella looked at the Jake in the picture. She was not surprised to hear a whisper right by her ear. She had heard things like this the whole time she was growing up.

"Okay," she said out loud to whomever was there, "I won't call you Fred anymore. But why are you here?" She chuckled once, Rose and Jasper would make fun of her forever if they found out she was talking to Fred.

Bella sighed and closed her eyes. Abruptly, she felt exhausted. She gently stacked up the letters and pictures into a little pile and put them back into the shoebox, all but the picture of Jake and Marie. For some reason, she felt attached to this one. She wanted it out where she could look at it.

After lighting another fire, Bella sat on the couch in front of the fireplace. She wanted to read the letters again, but couldn't make myself get up. She laid her head on the back of the couch and closed her eyes. She didn't think she had fallen asleep, but a vision popped into her head. A memory, yet she knew she hadn't had this dream before.

They had only been married for two days. There was no honeymoon. Who needs to go anywhere when all you want is right here? Bella stood in the kitchen of her own home looking at the table. The house was similar to how it looked now, but was different somehow. Bella couldn't put her finger on it. Supper was small, just some tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce from the garden. It was late September, Indian Summer, too hot to cook and too hot to eat. Jake would be home from work soon. Sure enough, she heard his happy whistling filter through the open windows. She ran out the front door to meet him. He caught her up in his arms at the edge of the little yard.

"Watch out, love," he laughed, "It's been a hard day. Nothing smells worse than a cow barn when it's hot out!"

"I think you smell fine!" Bella protested as she hugged him and kissed his cheek.

He stopped walking beside the pump, "let me wash up, then I'll be right in."

She squeezed his hand, then walked into the house, glancing behind her every couple of seconds, as if to make sure he was still there. She left the front door open, hoping that a little breeze might blow in.

Bella stood again in the little kitchen looking out the back window. She could feel the sweat dripping down her back. She had been glad when September came, but the last week had been as warm as August. She couldn't wait until fall. It was her favorite season. She didn't hear Jake come in, but suddenly he was there behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder and she tilted her head into his cheek.

"What are you thinking about?" His gentle voice was quiet.

"Babies."

Bella felt him laugh silently, "babies? What about them?"

She had been thinking about this recently, "well, I hope we have a whole yard-full!"

"Hmmm, you do, huh?" He had moved his head and was sliding his nose along the back of her neck. When he spoke, she could feel his breath blow the little hairs that had escaped from the loose bun on the top of her head. And although the day was stiflingly hot, she got goose bumps.

"And I hope they have your green eyes, and kind smile," her voice was shaky.

"Well, then," Jake' soft lips kissed the back of her neck, and she shivered, " I think we should get started right away." His arms tightened and she could feel him pressed up against her.

They didn't eat supper right away, but he didn't complain about the wilted lettuce and droopy tomatoes. He ate happily, smiling between bites, even though he had to eat one handed, as his other hand was busy holding hers.

Jake was leaving the house, it was early, time for the morning chores. Bella walked him to the door and before he opened it, he turned and grabbed her up in his strong arms, lifting her off the ground for a moment. Then he put her down and kissed her. One of his hands rubbed her back, and pulled her closer to him. The other gently stroked her face. She didn't want him to go to work today, she wanted him to stay home with her. He laughed lightly when she told him that and said that he'd be home before she knew it. He kissed her again and jogged off up the road, and she watched until she couldn't see him anymore. Bella listened hard though, and she could faintly hear the sound of his whistling. She smiled and turned to go back in the house. Just then a flash of red midway up one of the apple trees caught her attention. She considered for a second, then thought an apple pie might be a nice surprise for her new husband.

Mother had warned Bella many times when she was a child not to climb trees. She said her skirt could get caught and she could fall. But like most kids, Bella didn't listen, and climbed them often. Even now she had no trouble clambering quickly up through the branches. She had almost enough apples gathered in her apron, and she began to climb down. Just as she was about to jump from the lowest branch on to the ground, the hissing snake lifted his fangs to her ankle…

Bella woke up covered in sweat, and gasping for air. She hadn't had the snake dream in almost fifteen years. The one where she's climbing out of a tree, but can't get down because a horrible hissing snake is waiting for her at the bottom. She lay in her bed staring at the night outside of her east window for a long time. Her mind was so full of thoughts, she couldn't get a firm grasp on any one of them. What could have made that dream come back to her? But she was only familiar with the last part, the part with the snake. Where did the rest come from? Was it only her subconscious to her grandmother's stories? The Jake in her dream had seemed so real. She could still hear his voice in her head, and could still remember they way she felt when he had touched her.

When Bella heard the familiar sound of footsteps on the other side of the room, she rolled over to look in that direction. When she was young, she would hear those footsteps all the time. She had many sleepovers with her cousins, Rose and Jasper, but Bella was the only one who heard the footsteps. Bella would lie for the longest time starring out the open bedroom door. She wasn't afraid. She felt strangely curious about who could be out there. No one ever was. After several long minutes, Bella's eye lids began to droop and she fell back into a peaceful slumber.

Bella woke up with all good intentions of spending the morning writing. It was her job after all, and if books didn't get finished, then she didn't get paid, and bills didn't get paid. Her laptop was set up in the usual spot on the table, with her coffee at her elbow. Her hands were positioned over the keys. However, the words just wouldn't come. She took a drink, scratched her head, stretched out her arms, sat up a little straighter, and repositioned her hands on the keys with her index fingers on the F and the J, just like she was taught in high school, but still, there were no words. Letting out a deep breath, she sat back in her hard chair and looked at the ceiling. Her mind was absolutely blank. Maybe she needed to take a walk. After doing something physical for a while, she should be able to sit down and get started.

As she stood up, she remembered a project that she had been putting off. Now was as good a time as any to get started. In her spare room, there were several boxes that had been stacked in the corner for years, boxes of things that her mother and father had left behind in their haste to leave her little house. She wasn't exactly sure what all the boxes contained, but she figured it was mostly old clothes, knick-knacks, mementos, and the like. Most of the stuff was bound for the trash or Goodwill, she was sure, but she thought she'd better check, just in case.

Bella let her mind wander to her book as she emptied out each box and separated its contents into piles; keep, donate, throw away. She pictured different scenarios and conversations, trying to figure out how to connect the middle with the end.

When she had all the mementos that she wanted to keep condensed into one box, she opened the closet to find a place to store them. It wasn't a large closet compared to most, but for the size of the microscopic bedroom, it was immense, almost as big as the bedroom, itself. A few clothes, her mother's old winter coat and a few of her own summer clothes hung where they were supposed to be, with a few pairs of shoes lined up underneath. Her suitcases were stowed in the back corner of the closet, out of the way. She pulled out the suitcases, shoved the box far back in the corner, then put the suitcases back. Then she stood in the closet and brushed her hands against each other, proud of herself for finally finishing her task.

She didn't know what made her look up, but as soon as Bella saw it, she knew she had to find a ladder and see what was up there. Cut out of the ceiling in the spare closet was a small square, about three feet by three feet. The attic in this house wasn't huge, it was more of a crawl space, really. She remembered Rose wanting to see what was up there when they were little, but Renee kept putting it off, 'sometime we will' she always said. Unfortunately for Rose, 'sometime' never came. Rose's brother, Jasper, was a horror movie buff at the time and maybe he frightened his aunt with stories about what she would unleash if she opened it up.

"Ladder," Bella said to herself, looking around. Where could she find a ladder? She considered using a chair, but the chair wouldn't be tall enough. She eventually decided she would have to borrow one from the shed behind her grandmother's big house. It was a beautiful day out, after all, and perfect for a half-mile walk.

Humming to herself, Bella stepped out into the bright day, sneezing as the unseasonably warm sun overhead stung her eyes. Halfway across the lawn, heading toward the road, she thought she heard someone call. The voice wasn't close. It was more like a distant yell. Probably a neighbor yelling out their back door, but as Bella instinctively turned toward the sound, the sun reflected off of something metal, throwing the glaring light right in her eyes. She squinted into the glare, and walked back toward her house. There, nestled up against the faded siding was a long ladder, exactly the height that she needed. Bella then recalled Uncle Garrett telling her that he cleaned out the gutters for her just a few days before, when she was gone for the day, and would be back to pick up the tools that he had left. Not having seen any of said tools, she had forgotten all about the promise. Without hesitating, Bella grasped the ladder under the middle rung, and hauled it into the house. It was heavier than she expected and she was glad that she hadn't had to carry it from the big house.

The closet was just tall enough to allow the ladder to stand upright underneath the access to the attic. Bella stood on the fourth rung and pushed the wooden square up. It moved easily. As she stepped onto the fifth rung, she slid the door to her left, and cautiously peeked into the tiny attic area. There was no space for storage up here. The wooden rafters had darkened with age and weather, and the pink insulation was moldy in spots. Gently, she tested the last rung on the ladder to make sure she wouldn't tip over, stood up into the attic, and sat on the ledge. Sunlight filtered through the tiny window across from her, but it was just an empty attic. Nothing of consequence. She was slightly disappointed that her adventure for the day had culminated into nothing. However, she wasn't quite ready to go back downstairs and close up the attic once again, so she sat there on the ledge looking around. She smelled in the musty smell, and the cold air just _felt_ old.

As her eyes inspected each corner where the peaked roof met the floor, Bella caught site of something that didn't quite belong. Situated an arm's length away, partially hidden behind a glob of moldy insulation so that if she had left the attic quickly, she would never have seen it, was a small, rectangular, wooden box. She picked it up carefully, inspecting it closely. It appeared to be hand made. The slats of wood had been nailed tightly together, but over time, the extreme temperatures in the attic had made the wood warp, and she could see through the slats that there were papers of some kind in the box. "Hmm," Bella said out loud. The box was closed, with the lid still sitting flush with the sides. It was latched with a hook and eye latch. Eagerly, she swung the hook out of the eye, and lifted the lid back. Inside was a small stack of very brittle, old looking papers. Each paper was individually folded in half, and she noticed after digging through the papers lightly, that most of them seemed to have a simple J written on the outside in an older style of handwriting, very similar to that of the handwriting on Marie's notes. Bella gasped out loud, her eyes growing wide at the sight. She was positive that she had just found Marie's long lost letters to Jake.

She was in raptures. So after closing the lid gently and latching it once more, Bellastumbled down the ladder rungs, almost forgetting to replace the square that was the attic door, and rushed with her little treasure to the kitchen table. Once seated, she reopened the box and took out the first piece of paper.

Her heart thundered against her chest as she read this first note.

_J-_

_Though you left me only minutes ago, I miss you already. To answer your question, no, I do not think father knows yet how I love you, but Helen says every body knows and that he is not a stupid man. I think you should ask him immediately about marrying me. He will not say no, because I am sure he wants me to be happy and even if he does say no, that will not keep me from you._

_I am counting the minutes until I can see you tomorrow._

_ All my heart and soul,_

M-

For a moment, Bella had that same fleeting vision of a pretty young girl sitting at an old writing desk, writing this note and she smiled to herself.

Folding that paper back up, she set it to the side and reached in for the next. As she held the thin paper in her hand, she realized that her hand was shaking with excitement. Thisone, too, was addressed to J.

_J-_

_My heart is still racing. H- saw us kiss and she does not approve, but I don't care. Things are easier for her. The family approves of Oliver and they will be married soon, and they will never have to be apart, but it is harder for us, don't you think? _

_Father did not say yes yet, but he did not say no. I know he likes you, and even H- told him that I truly love you, so I am hopeful that he will say yes. You were right. I do get upset before I should. _

_I will be waiting for you on the porch tomorrow morning like I always do._

_ All my heart and soul, forever,_

_ M-_

Eagerly, Bella continued on, the next one simply said,

_J-_

_I love you, too_

_All my heart and soul, forever,_

_ M-_

_J-_

_I have never been so happy as the moment father approached us this evening in the yard and told us yes. But five years! That is an eternity! Why should you have to work for him for five years more? I am sure I know how Rachel from the Bible felt when her Jacob had to work for Laban for seven years. I know you are not disappointed. And I shall try to be as understanding as you. You are right again, of course. As long as we can see each other every day, it surely will not seem like such a terribly long time. Someday you will not have to leave me every evening to go to your home. You will leave work to come home to me. I shall keep that in mind, and of course that you love me as I love you._

_Come back and see me as soon as you can in the morning, I will be waiting like always._

_ All my heart and soul forever,_

_ M-_

Bella paused to let the significance of her find sink in. She couldn't wait to show Grandma. She hoped the shock wouldn't be too much for her heart. She was over eighty years old, after all.

Most of the other letters contained similar sentiments.

_J-_

_I am so lonely with out H-. The house was so quiet as I was getting ready for bed. But I know that she is happy. Wasn't she beautiful this afternoon? And I'm sure I never saw Oliver look so handsome. It was a perfect day for a wedding. Soon, it will be us. I saw you look at me when Reverend Carlson said 'man and wife'. Did you see how I blushed bright red? I am very sure every body else saw it, too. _

_After the dinner today, when you came to me and whispered how pretty my dress was, did you see mother shake her head at me? Mother and H- want me to be a proper young lady, but I am proper…enough. I see no sense in standing on the other side of the room from you when the whole neighborhood knows we are to be married in just a few years. _

_I know you must get up early, so I will not bother you with any more of my silly ramblings. _

_All my heart and soul forever,_

_ M-_

Bella read the letters one by one until she reached the bottom of the box, and then she started at the beginning and read them again. She spread them out on the table and put them in chronological order, as best as she could tell, then reread them. The closer they got to the bottom, the closer the two lovers got to their wedding day. It seemed that Marie was trying to be patient, but was having a hard time with it. Jake was a few years older, and patience seemed to come more easily to him. Or perhaps he didn't want to make his future father-in-law upset, and only tried to appear patient.

_J-_

_I know you are not so far away, and that I will see you tomorrow, but I truly miss you. We still have two years, and I know you are content that our plan is coming along nicely, but what if Father goes back on his word? I am sure he won't, he is an honorable man, as you said, but I cannot help worrying. I should not worry. I trust you. You said that nothing in the world can keep us apart. How did you put it? 'Not all the angels in heaven, nor all the demons in hell can keep us apart'. Well I am sure if they cannot, then my father cannot. You've always been right about him, I will just trust your judgment on him. I know you don't believe I can, but I will try._

_All my heart and soul forever,_

_ M-_

_J-_

_We have only a few weeks more to go. Mother is almost finished with my dress. Oh! It is really going to happen! I can tell you are as excited as I am because I saw your smile all through dinner. It is the same smile that I have every day. H- says it is because of love and I agree with her. H- told father that Oliver will help with chores_ _on the_ _morning of our wedding and the day after. I feel silly now for doubting him the way that I did. _

_All my heart and soul forever,_

_ M- _

When she got to this last letter, Bella choked up. She had been rooting for these two young lovers and this letter seemed to seal the love story perfectly.

_J-_

_I can hardly believe that tomorrow is our wedding! I am so excited that I know I will never be able to sleep. Of course, you were right all along. These last five years have passed quickly. It wasn't the eternity that it seemed at the time. The most wonderful thing about tomorrow, besides being your wife of course, is that tomorrow evening when you walk home, I'll be walking with you. And we will never have to be parted again._

_ All my heart and soul forever,_

_ M-_

She was struck again and again by the pure, simple, true love that was evident in every stroke of every letter. It made her hope that maybe there was a love like that out there for her, too. Bella sat with one hand stroking the rough wood of the handmade box, feeling its texture. She wondered if Jake had made this box. Did he make it specially to hold these letters? It was incredibly romantic to imagine a man who would keep these letters. In her head, she could see him reading even the shortest one over and over, touching the page with his hand, missing her as much as she seemed to miss him. After almost an hour of these speculations and daydreams, Bella happened to glance at the clock on the microwave. It was almost ten thirty. The promise she had made to Grandma about joining her for lunch came back to her and she decided that she just couldn't wait until noon to show her the letters. Picking up her phone, she called Rose first, though.

"Hey, it's Bella. Are you going to be up at Grandma's for lunch?"

"Yeah, and Jasper too. Why?"

"Awesome, I have got the most amazing thing to show you."

Her excitement was unconcealed, "what is it? Did you get a picture of your hottie ghost?" Her laugh made Bella giggle.

"No, you whore, it's a surprise. Did you tell Jasper about the pictures and the letters?"

"Yeah, he didn't care so much."

"It's cause he's a guy."

"Probably. When are you going to the house?"

"I'm leaving now."

"Okay, we'll be there soon...oh, and I'm telling Gram you called me a whore."

"K, bye." Bella hung up the phone, giggling at her cousin. The two of them had always had a strange way of showing affection. Pulling a hooded sweatshirt on over her head, she tucked her new treasure along with Gram's 1950's shoebox safely inside a canvas shopping bag and grabbed her house keys off the counter. It was late October and the air was starting to feel colder, but as long as she was dressed warm she would be walking whenever she wanted to see Grandma. She hated to waste the gas when her legs were still working. Bella learned that from her father, too.

As Bella walked into the cluttered, yet tidy kitchen, Gram noted her wind blown hair and red cheeks, "did you walk again Bella?" she asked, concerned, before she even said hello.

"It's nice out. I'm dressed warm enough for it, Gram," Bella said this as convincingly as she could, but she knew Gram would still be concerned for her health, "Rose and Jasper are on their way, but I can't wait, I have to show you something!"

Bella sat her shopping bag on the table and waited until Gram seated herself. Watching her face, Bella slowly pulled Jake's little wooden box out of the bag and sat it in front of her. She looked at Bella questioningly. Bella nodded her consent and watched with wide eyes as she removed the hook from the eye on the box and opened the top of the box. Her eyes widened, too, as she caught sight of the piece of paper with the J- on top.

"Read it," Bella encouraged.

She picked up the first note and read. Her arthritic hands seemed to move faster than they had in years as she sat the first note to the side and picked up the second, then the third and the fourth. The house was silent as Bella watched her excitement.

Neither of them spoke until she had read every note in the box, then she carefully, slowly, piled the letters back up and closed the latch. She looked at her granddaughter for a long moment, "Bells, is this a joke?" she asked, deliberately.

At first Bella was surprised she would ask such a thing, but then realized, what other conclusion could she have come to? She shook her head, "no, Gram. Can't you see how old those papers are? And I couldn't write like that if I wanted to. I was in the spare room, going through the boxes that Mom and Dad had left behind. I kept one box and was putting in the back of the closet," Bella hoped her explanation would be enough to convince her, "I looked up in the closet and realized I had never seen inside the attic, so I got the ladder that Uncle Garrett left down there the other day and climbed up in there. I found these half buried under a pile of moldy insulation. Do you think this has been in there all this time?"

Grandma was silent for another long moment. She sat with her chin in one hand. With her other hand, she stroked the rough wooden box, like Bella had, only this morning. She had inherited so many things from her grandmother. More than she had inherited from her own mother. Bella had often wondered why that was. She looked a little like her grandmother. When she was young, Gram had dark brown hair. The same color Bella's was now, although she always kept hers short and Bella's was longer, past her shoulders. And their brown eyes were shaped the same. They were slim, but not too skinny, athletic looking, though Bella never excelled at sports. Her mother had lighter hair and hazel eyes, and no matter what she ate, she stayed at an unhealthy sounding 105 pounds. Both Bella and her grandmother loved history and stories and could sit for hours telling tales. They would talk about the olden times as they made Christmas cookies from a recipe passed down from Grandma Cooke. However Bella's own mother had no patience for spending the day making cookies. She would bake for an hour then move on to the next task. She was the kind of person to look ahead, not back. "The good old days weren't always good," she would remind them. But still, when Bella was small, she always asked to eat breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa so she could have 'real' oatmeal. The kind you made on the stove. In their little house, Bella's family only had instant oatmeal. Sometimes she asked if she could eat lunch at Gram's house, so she could watch the 'neat black and white TV'. Her mother would sigh, asking where she got 'it' from, as if she didn't know, and Bella often wondered if her mother was just a little jealous that she couldn't share in the bond that she and Grandma Swan had.

At that moment, Rose and her brother, Jasper burst through the door. There was a round of 'hello' and 'how are you' before Rose, leaning against the kitchen counter, asked "what did you have to show us?"

Bella pointed at the box, then watched her face, as she had watched Gram's face. As Rose realized what the little treasure chest contained, her eyes went from curious, to disbelieving to extremely excited. "What? No way! How the hell did you find these? Where were they?"

"Rose," her grandmother reproached her language. Bella repeated for her the story that led to the letters in the attic.

"What is it?" Jasper asked, approaching the table and looking over their shoulders.

Rose had her nose buried in the notes, so Bella replied, "did Rose tell you about the letters she found in Gram's closet? The ones from a guy named Jake to her Aunt Marie?" He nodded, so Bella continued, "I think it's the letters that Gram's Aunt Marie wrote to Jake.

"Really?" He looked interested, but only mildly so. It would have meant more to him if he had been there the day they first read Jake's letters. Two 'x' chromosomes would have helped, too.

Rose looked up, a letter in each hand, "this is amazing!" she exclaimed, "I feel like I know these people, like they still live here. I can picture it." She put the last letter back in the box and began getting Gram's lunch things out of the refrigerator. That seemed to be Gram's cue to begin the rest of her tale.

"Well, let me think. Mother and Father married later that summer, then I was born less than a year later. I was four when they passed on, so I guess they were together about five years. Grandfather acted like he didn't completely approve of Jake for his daughter, but Jake told him that he would stay here and work this farm for the rest of his life, so long as he could stay with Marie. Grandfather agreed that if Jake stayed and worked for him for 5 years, then he could marry Marie. Mother told me that secretly, her father really did like Jake, and he would never admit it, but he was glad that there would be someone here to take care of this house and farm after he was gone. Jake seemed to really care about this old place, and he was more than capable. So Jake worked this farm and lived in your house, Bella, for five years."

There was a far away look in her eyes, as if she were seeing a different time. "In the evening, after his chores were done, they would sit together on the porch and just talk. Mother told me that Marie wanted him to hold her hand during their talks, but he was too much of a gentleman. So, she just reached out and took his. Some people would have thought her far too forward for polite company, but he seemed to not think anything of it, so from then on, he held her hand as they sat in the gathering darkness.

"Marie began to get impatient around the third or fourth year. She was convinced her father was going to go back on his word. She began to become more and more resentful towards him. Jake, however, seemed perfectly content to wait. As long as he got to see her every day, and hold her hand in the evenings, maybe steal a kiss now and then, he was happy.

" 'Why don't we just run away?' She asked him one night. It was winter, so Jake was allowed, after chores were done, to sit with her in the front parlor for a little while.

" 'And where would we run to? Both of our homes are right here. You would be miserable being away from your family.' This seemed to make him sad. He wanted nothing more than to see her happy, and having to wait all this time was not making her happy.

" 'I don't care. We could live in a cave. I just have to be with you,' she whispered, 'I hate being apart from you, even just overnight. I wish you could stay here with me, or that I could go to your house with you.'

" 'And I have to be with you, too. But let's be patient. At least we get to see each other everyday. Maybe we don't have to go to such extremes.' He kissed her lightly and got to his feet. It was time to go. Jake was careful to follow all of grandfather's rules. He didn't want to give him reason to change his mind. So because of that, Jake worked twice as hard as the other farmhands, and eventually the other two were let go. Jake lived alone in the little house, and when they married, Marie would live there with him.

"Grandfather was true to his word, and during the fifth year, Jake married Marie. Even though I was so young when they married, I remember it. They celebrated here in this yard, and you've never seen two happier people. Aunt Marie was beautiful in her new dress and Jake looked very handsome, all cleaned up, in his church clothes. I suspect it was more than that, though, more than the clothes they wore. Mother used to say that they were glowing when they got married, just because they were so happy to finally be together. I think Marie must have been 20 at the time, and Jake must have been about 27.

"But just three days after they were married, Marie died. Then four days after that, Jake passed away also. It's a sad, sad story." She bowed her head. "I remember all the grownups being upset, and the funerals. I don't think I quite grasped what was going on. I heard the talk, but no one would answer my questions. Mother simply told me that Aunt Marie and Uncle Jake had gone away to heaven. I asked her when they were coming back, but she never answered me. The question seemed to make her sad. She was the one who found her, you know," Gram's voice was low.

"Marie?"

"Yes. Just before dinner, Mother walked down there, to ask her if she and Jake would be eating dinner at the big house. She saw Marie lying on the ground, and as she got closer, she saw her neck was twisted at an unnatural angle. She must have fallen out of the tree because there were ripe apples scattered around her. Mother screamed and a few minutes later, Grandfather and Jake came running into the yard, and she flung herself into Grandfather's arms. He held her while she cried. Jake went to Marie's side. He could see how her neck was twisted, but he just wouldn't believe it. He just straightened her head around and patted her cheek.

"'Marie? Come on Marie, wake up! You bumped your head, but it'll be fine. Come on now!' Mother told me that his voice was soft.

" 'Jake,' Grandfather began.

"But Jake didn't listen. He picked Marie up in his arms, cradling her broken neck in his elbow, like a newborn baby, and carried her into the house. He laid her on the bed and lay next to her, holding her hand. For several hours, he wouldn't let anyone touch her. Even when they came to take her body to be prepared for burial, he wouldn't move. 'I'll wait here for her' is what he said.

"Nobody saw him for several days. Even after the funeral, he didn't come to work. Mother went down to the little house to check on him. He was still lying in the same position and she said it looked like he hadn't moved once in the four days since Marie's death. He didn't look at Mother when she spoke to him.

" 'Jake, I brought you some bread and honey, have you eaten?' She knew he hadn't.

" 'No, I'm not hungry.'

" 'Please Jake, you need to get up.'

" 'No, I'm waiting here for her,' he said, 'she'll come back here for me.'

"Mother said she got choked up and could barely speak, 'She's not coming back, Jake. She's dead.'

"Jake seemed to get angry, but still didn't move. 'My Marie wouldn't leave me here like this. She's coming back and I'm waiting here until she does.'

"Mother left the bread and honey on the dresser and left. The next day when she went to check on him again, he was dead. Mother said dead of a broken heart, but obviously, dead from starvation." Grandma paused, "maybe a little of both," she amended quietly.

Gram was still looking far away, over Rose's shoulder, into the past. Bella wiped at her eyes and took a last swig of her now-cold tea to clear the lump in her throat. Gram was right. This story did not have a happy ending. Bella tried to find some words to fill the silence.

"At least they got those five years. And at least they did get to be married. I'm sure they had more love and happiness in their short lives than most other people ever get to experience."

"More than I've ever experienced," Rose muttered to herself from the other end of the table where she was sitting assembling a plate for Gram's lunch.

Gram looked at Bella then, surprised, "Yes. That's just what mother used to tell me." She looked disheartened, so they didn't press her for any more details about Jake and Marie. Bella wasn't sure if she was up to it.

The room was quiet as they ate their lunch, each of them wrapped in their own thoughts.

Jasper broke the silence, "that is one of the saddest stories I've ever heard," Bella and Rose nodded in agreement.

Changing the subject, Bella asked Grandma, "do you know if Uncle Garrett knows anything about furnaces?"

"I don't know. Are you having trouble with yours?" She asked, concerned.

"I'm not sure. I tried to turn it on last night, cause I was a little cold, but I never heard it kick on. I might try it again when I get home."

That afternoon, Bella stayed until Jasper left. Rose had some homework to do for an online class she was taking and Gram looked tired again. As soon as she got home, Bella walked to the tiny closet door next to the spare bedroom. This was where the furnace was. She knew something had to be wrong because when she left the house, she had left the thermostat set on 80, just to see what would happen, but the house was still cold, colder than it was outside. She stared at the furnace for a long minute, but had no clue what she was looking at, so she closed the closet door and took out the phone book to find the number for a furnace repairman.

**This week's rec: **

"**Interweb Smoochfest" by Nathyette. This story is still in the works, but I am loving it so far! This Bella is smart, witty, snarky, foul-mouthed and all around hilarious! Check it out on my favorites list!**

**As always, please review...I'd love to know your thoughts...**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm going to ask for a little creative license with this story. I'll be changing a few things, like Edward's middle name and such. So please forgive me and try to enjoy the story.**

**S.M. owns everything Twilight related. I own a Siberian Husky who is currently shedding all over my house.**

**Introducing...Repairward? Ha!**

Bella was clicking away at her keyboard, keeping warm by the fireplace, when she heard tires on her gravel driveway. Thinking all day and night about Marie and Jake seemed to have awakened her creativity, and her book was coming along nicely. Looking at the time on the microwave, she noted, gladly, that the furnace guy was right on time. Bella waited at the table for a knock on the door. After several minutes, she still heard no knock, so she got up and looked out the window over the sink. In her driveway there was a white van with blue letters on the side that said "Midstate Heating and Cooling". Inside the van, the driver was sitting in his seat with his face in his hands. As she watched, he moved his hands. One hand removed the baseball cap he was wearing, and the other hand raked through his hair. His face was partially hidden by a glare coming off the windshield, so she couldn't see his expression.

Curiously, Bella watched the van door open, and as the man got out and walked toward the house, she gasped. The room tilted at an odd angle as she struggled to hold onto consciousness. The man wore dark blue work pants, a blue button down shirt and a blue baseball cap. His expression was like none Bella had ever seen before, a strange mixture of horror and confusion. But what made her hand cover my mouth to stifle a small cry were the eyes. _Jake' eyes, _the same green eyes that she had seen in Grandma's pictures and the same green eyes that had looked at her from the doorway of the spare room so many times. It looked just like him…her ghost!

It only took her a short second to make this revelation and he was still slowly, cautiously making his way across the lawn. Bella walked to the front door to let him in, pausing before she opened it to take several deep breaths. She managed to calm herself slightly until she opened the door. The man was just reaching up to knock on the door, and as soon as their eyes met, he stumbled back a step. All the color drained from his face, and she thought she heard him mumble something through unmoving lips. It sounded like, "it's you…" but she couldn't be sure.

The seconds dragged on as they starred at each other in disbelief. Bella could hear her heart pounding in her ears and she felt as if she would never be able to catch her breath again. Some small part of her brain wondered why he could possibly be having these reactions as well. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Bella lost track of time as they stood there in shock with the cold wind blowing around them, but she finally found her voice, "Umm, hi, I'm sorry, come on in." She moved to the side, and he cautiously moved past her into the house. She noticed that the name embroidered on his work shirt said Edward Cullen.

"Thank you," he said softly.

There was a short silence. Bella gestured over her shoulder with her hand and began to tell him that the furnace was in this direction, but at the same time, he said, "so you're having trouble with your furnace?" He smiled, and he looked so much like the Jake in Grams' pictures that Bella's heart threatened to pound through her chest. She chuckled slightly, trying to relieve some of the tension that had built around them.

There was another short silence as they both looked away from each other, trying not to meet each other's eyes. He nodded, and said, "okay, I'll take a look at it." Without another word, he turned and walked stiffly, awkwardly to the closet that held the furnace.

Confused, Bella followed after him a few steps, "excuse me, but how did you know where my furnace was?"

Edward turned to face her, confusion in his eyes also. He tried to laugh, but it came out sounding strangled, "I don't know. Lucky guess, I suppose."

Without a word, Bella left him to his work. She walked back to the table and her laptop, her legs threatening to buckle underneath her the whole time. Hiding behind her laptop, Bella continued to breath deeply, trying to sort things out in her mind. Okay, she thought to herself, he looks like Jake. That could be a coincidence. He sounds like the Jake in her dreams. That could be a coincidence too. But he's dressed exactly like the figure that she saw in the spare bedroom doorway. She didn't know how to account for that, or for the fact that he had looked at her as if he had seen a ghost, too.

Bella typed out a few words. The banging of tools on metal filled the silence and eased some of the tension. She had a longing to sit and talk to this Edward. Bella didn't know how long fixing her furnace was going to take, but she suddenly felt like it would not be long enough. She was beginning to feel comfortable again, and the typing increased. She didn't notice when the banging from across the room stopped.

His voice distracted her, "are you writing a book or something?"

Bella looked over at his smiling face and the calm that she had built around herself quickly fell away. She tried to smile back, "yeah…well, I'm trying to. It's my third."

Edward raised his eyebrows, "really? Wow. That's impressive."

Bella laughed once, disappointed to notice that he was packing his tools back into a black toolbox. She shrugged, "it's a living."

"Yeah, tell me about it," he agreed, then he stood up and walked to the thermostat, "okay, I think I'm about done," he said, reluctantly, " Let's fire this thing up and see if it kicks on."

Bella joined him near the thermostat as he turned the dial. They smiled at each other as they heard the furnace kick on.

"Great! We're in business!" he enthused.

"Thank you so much," Bella struggled to find something else to say as he grabbed a clipboard off the top of his toolbox. He took it to the table and sat down. Luckily, he continued the conversation.

"So what's your book about? If you don't mind me asking…"

"No, I don't mind at all…It's about a young man in the civil war. He is presumed dead, and when he returns home, he finds his beloved married to his rival."

"Sounds like a movie," he noted as he wrote out a bill on the form clipped to his board. Bella had her picture of Jake and Marie on the table next to her arm and she inconspicuously glanced between the photo and his face, marveling at the likeness. His full lips pulled up on one side when he smiled, just the same as Jake's and Bella felt her heart and thighs clench in tandem. As he wrote on his form, he looked like he was smiling at his own personal joke. His hair looked brownish..almost a bronze-red, under his hat. His nose was straight, but turned up just slightly at the end, and _his eyes_…green and almond shaped. She felt like she could sit and stare at his eyes for hours. She could see kindness and wisdom there, with just a hint of amusement, even though she had only known him for a few minutes. She had the strangest urge to reach out and touch his five o'clock shadow, and had to grasp the table to keep her hands to herself.

Edward looked up and caught her staring. Immediately, Bella looked down at her hand that rested on the table, her face bright red from embarrassment. If he noticed, he didn't say anything. He just tore the bottom half off the bill and handed it to her.

"If you have any problems in the next few days, just go ahead and call my cell instead of calling the office," they stood as he spoke, "if I'm in the area, I can swing by real quick rather than setting up an appointment through them. It's quicker. I put my number right here," he reached over to point at the bottom of the page and the sudden proximity made Bella's breathing stop and her stomach coil.

"Okay, thanks," She looked up at him, knowing as she did so that she might not be able to look away again. He wasn't so much taller than herself, maybe six foot at the most. And he was so close that she could feel the heat coming off of him like waves crashing over her.

He stood where he was for a moment, as if he was reluctant to leave. After a second of looking at Bella's face, he sucked in his breath, looked around her house as if he were seeing it for the last time and took three long strides towards the door. Quickly, she rushed to open it for him, the way a good homeowner should.

"Have a good day," he told her as he walked out her door.

"Thanks, you too," Bella was terribly afraid that she was never going to see him again and her voice was weak with the fear. She watched from the kitchen window as he got into his van and drove away. Who was this man? He seemed so familiar. Was it just because he looked like Jake? Bella was about to call Rose and ask her to come over because she needed to talk to someone about this, when she caught sight of Edward's black toolbox in the living room near the furnace. Her heart leaped into her throat. As she dialed his number instead of Rose's, Bella wondered if he had left it here on purpose so that he would have an excuse to come back, but then in the same thought, she realized that was stupid…he didn't know her. Her fingers were shaking as she tried to dial the numbers so badly that she messed up and had to start over again.

She finally got it right and held her breath as the phone rang, "Hello?" Bella recognized his soft voice and it took a second for her to speak.

"Hi. This is Bella Swan. You were just at my house fixing my furnace? You left your tool box here," She tried to keep the excitement out of her voice and failed miserably.

When he spoke again, his voice was louder, with an edge to it, "I did? Okay, I'll be right there to pick it up. Thanks,"

Smiling, Bella said, "no problem. Bye."

Bella hung up, elated. Her heart was pounding harder than it had a right to, and she struggled to think of something to say to him that would make him want to stay. Was that the right thing? She barely knew the man. He could be a serial killer for all she knew. Bella was having no luck thinking of something to say to him when she heard the tires on her gravel driveway again. This time there was no hesitation. She immediately heard him banging on the front door. As she opened it, she realized he looked embarrassed this time.

"Sorry. I hope I didn't inconvenience you."

"Oh, it's no problem," think, Bella, think. Get him talking, she thought to herself. She watched him as he moved forward to get his toolbox. When he turned around, he caught her staring again, and smiled.

The smile reminded Bella of Jake again and she blurted out the first thing that came into her head, "I'm sorry. You look so familiar to me. Have we met?"

He paused, one hand extended towards the doorknob. He furrowed his brow in thought, "I've been thinking the same thing," he spoke hesitantly, as if there was something he was careful to keep from her.

She looked around desperately. Her eyes landed on the picture of Jake and Marie and she held it out to him, "can I show you something?" She asked. He moved away from the door and reached for the picture.

Edward studied it for a few long seconds, "wow." Bella watched his eyes move over the picture again and again, "who are these people?" He asked softly.

"That's my grandmother's Aunt Marie and Uncle Jake."

He sank slowly into one of the kitchen chairs, still examining the picture. When she said the names, he looked up, "my middle name is Jacob," he informed her.

Bella laughed shakily, although she felt no humor, "huh. And you look so much like him, too. Mine is Marie.

Edward's eyes flickered to Bella's face, then back to the picture, "she looks like you."

"Strange, isn't it?"

"That seems to be a pattern in my life, lately," he mumbled. Bella cocked her head to one side, wondering what he could mean by that. "Maybe it's our past life," he smiled as he handed the picture back to her and stood up.

"What seems to be a pattern, strange things?" Bella knew she sounded like she was prying, but she desperately wanted him to sit down again.

He hesitated and looked around. To her delight he did sit down, lost in thought, "I don't want you to think I'm crazy…" he trailed off.

"The things that have been happening to you can't be any weirder than the things that have been happening to me lately," she encouraged.

He smiled and her heart reacted, "you first, then".

"Okay…well my house is…haunted," Bella though the words sounded ridiculous, and she could just imagine what he was thinking now, "well, at least I thought it was. For years I have heard footsteps and voices. About a year ago, I started seeing a man. He looks like the man in this picture…When I saw you get out of your van earlier, I realized, he looked like you. You're even dressed the same." By the time Bella finished, she was mortified. What could have made her spill all that? He's going to leave now and I'll never see him again, she thought

But he didn't get up. Instead he slumped back against his chair and stared at her, "you saw me?"

"You say that like you were really here."

His eyes held her for several seconds and neither of them moved until a chiming sound interrupted the silence, making them both jump. Bella was freed from his gaze as he looked down to pull a cell phone from his pocket. Reading the message, he stood and sighed.

"No!" Bella shouted internally. "He can't go yet", but she stood silently and led the way to the door.

"I'm late for my next job," he apologized.

He didn't move towards the door at first, and it made her hopeful that maybe he wanted to stay as much as she wanted him to stay. He frowned for a moment, then left the house.

This time Bella stood in the doorway ignoring the cold wind as he walked to his van. He glanced at her one last time, nodded, then drove away.

Slowly, Bella shut the door and sat back down at the table. She was suddenly exhausted. Knowing she would be getting no work done today, she shut her laptop down, then paced around the kitchen for a few minutes trying to get her bearings. Without thinking, She wound up in her bedroom. The blinds were closed, making the room fairly dark, and the covers looked warm and inviting, so she lay down and pulled the covers up to her chin. She realized for the first time that the paranoid feelings of someone watching her had evaporated. Her house wasn't haunted. Not by a ghost. It may have been haunted by a living, breathing person. She didn't want to think anymore.

Bella slept through the night and awoke later than she had planned the next morning. She just lay in bed for a while with her eyes closed, enjoying the relaxed feeling of not needing to get up if she don't want to. She rolled onto her back and looked at the ceiling. Her eyes followed the cracks and lines of the texture that was painted into it. She frowned as she contemplated a dream that had played over and over in her head as she slept.

She vaguely remembered that she was sitting on the top step of her back porch, watching a tractor in the cornfield. She didn't remember if it was warm or cold out. Bella heard the creak and slam of a screen door open and close. It would have been her back door, and that was odd, because her back door was a sliding glass door. She heard the heavy footsteps of boots walking across the porch and looked up to see Jake, or Edward, or whatever his name is, walking towards her. He was dressed the same as in her other dreams; dusty black boots, work pants, a button down shirt. He wasn't wearing his hat, and she knew that he had dropped it on the kitchen table. For some reason she wasn't surprised to see him, and he wasn't a stranger to her.

He sat next to Bella on the step and picked up her hand. When he put it to his lips to kiss it, she could feel the stubble from his face on the back of her hand. Her first thought was that he needed a good shave, but then in the same thought, she realized that she liked him this way. The five o'clock shadow suited him. They didn't speak, but her heart raced and she felt like she was blushing. The feelings that coursed through her reminded her of the feeling of being loved and in love, only stronger, more consuming. He was still holding her hand to his face. He kissed it again, this time turning it over to kiss her palm. He smiled as he gazed at her and she felt like her breath had been knocked out of her. She heard his voice again. It was low and quiet. It made her tingle all over. Of course that could have been the hand that was pushing a stray hair behind her ear. It was hard to decide what affected her more; his voice or his touch.

He was still smiling as he spoke and the sight of it sent another chill down her spine, "I knew we'd be together again," and then he winked. That was it, just one simple sentence, but the words had shocked her awake. Bella lay there unsure if she wanted to get up or not. She decided it was time. She was uncomfortable from sleeping in her jeans all night and quickly opted for sweats. Instead of bothering with a shower right away, she made some coffee and settled on the couch, watching the wind blow bits of swirling snow outside her window. Although she had been awake for only a short time, she felt like she had been awake for days, the exhaustion was so overwhelming, and the coffee was not helping. There was nothing that piqued her interest, not writing, television, visiting Gram, or even looking at the pictures of Jake and Marie… especially not the pictures of Jake and Marie. Bella knew what she wanted and that was to see Edward again. She wanted to hear his tires on her driveway and see him walking up her front lawn. She wanted to open her door and invite him to have a seat. She thought of his face, his eyes, his broad shoulders. She wondered idly if he had shaved. She hoped not.

However, when Bella did hear tires on the drive, not ten minutes later, she panicked. She could just imagine what she looked like, not having taken a shower, but she needn't have worried. When she glanced out the window, she saw Rose grimacing at the snow as she made her way to the door. Bella opened it for her, smoothing her greasy hair.

Rosalie immediately apologized, "Gram sent me down to check on you. You didn't make it up for lunch and she was worried," as she spoke, she took in Bella's sweats and ragged appearance and raised an eyebrow, "are you sick?"

Bella ignored her question, "it's past lunchtime?" And upon looking at the clock, she noticed that it was almost four o'clock, "huh," she muttered, "I guess I must have lost track of time."

"I'll say. Are you okay? You look like you've been sleeping all day."

Bella took a deep breath. She really wanted to talk to someone about this, and Rose was the only person who wouldn't think she was insane, "can you stay for awhile?" Bella asked her, "I need someone to talk to. I had the weirdest thing happen to me yesterday."

"Of course. What's wrong? Oh hey, did you get your furnace fixed?"

"Umm, yes. That's kind of where it started. The furnace guy, his name is Edward, he… um… really freaked me out."

Rose raised her eyebrows again, "you remembered his name? Was he scary?"

"No, not scary," Bella scratched her head, wondering how to explain this. She went to her kitchen counter and retrieved the picture of Jake and Marie. Throwing it down on the arm of the couch next to Rose, Bella said boldly, "he looks like this."

She was quiet for a moment, looking at the picture, "like Jake?" she finally asked.

"Exactly like Jake. His hair, his eyes, his nose, mouth, jaw, everything. And he was wearing dark blue, like the ghost that I've been seeing. His hat was the same, too." The ghost who was not a ghost, Bella thought to herself, but she continued, "and he knew me."

Rose was staring at her, disbelief on her face. Bella laughed a frustrated laugh and said, "and all that is not even the weird part."

"There's more?"

"He walked right to the furnace. I didn't even have to tell him where it was, and you know what a weird spot it's in," she nodded as Bella continued, "he sat here for awhile after he was done and talked to me. I think he knows this house somehow, and he knows me."

Her face was aghast, "has he been stalking you?"

Bella shook her head, staring off, past Rose's shoulder, "I don't think so. I don't know…It…wouldn't be unwanted, in any case."

There was a quick shake of her head, as if Rose didn't think she heard her right, "You want him to stalk you," disbelief made this a statement, rather than a question, "are you out of your mind? You don't even know the guy!"

Bella nodded, "the thing is…I do. Somehow…I do know him."

Rose blew out another breath, "okay. So what did you say his name was again? Edgar?"

"Edward. But his middle name is Jacob."

Rose rolled her eyes, "oh, this just gets better and better," she threw her hands up into the air to emphasize her point and they landed noisily in her lap, and she got up to pace around the little living room, "your life is like a freaky, crazy horror movie. You know that don't you?"

"Yes," Bella answered meekly, feeling oddly ashamed, as if she had brought this all on herself.

Rose then had a change of expression. She sat and pulled her legs up under herself like a teenager ready for a gossip session, "so he was cute?"

Bella had to laugh then, "oh god, you can't even imagine… wow! There were a couple times when I couldn't even think of anything to say to him, his face distracted me too much!"

"Do you think he liked you?"

"Does it matter? When am I ever going to see him again?"

"I bet you will. It all sounds too good to be true. You've never met, yet you know each other. It's like Jake and Marie reincarnated," she giggled at her comparison.

Bella didn't laugh with her, "reincarnation? Like past lives?"

Her face was suddenly serious, "I was kidding, Bella. It was a joke.

Bella was thoughtful for a moment, "I think he said something about that."

"Sounds like a pick up artist, to me," Rose said as she rolled her eyes.

Bella scowled at her, "when did you become so jaded?" she wondered.

She shrugged, "that's just my opinion," she muttered, "now go take a shower and clean up. It doesn't look like you've eaten all day," as she said this, she turned her head to glance around the kitchen. "I'll make you some dinner while you're showering."

Obediently, Bella followed Rose's orders and she did feel better after she got cleaned up. After she dried her hair and dressed, she went back to the kitchen, where she could smell spaghetti and sauce in the air.

Rose smiled at Bella as she leaned against the counter, "feel better?" Bella nodded, "well you look better. Human, at least."

"Thanks, I feel more human."

The sound of a car in Bella's driveway had them both looking out the window at the same time. Their faces whipped toward each other, their expressions identical masks of disbelief when they saw the white van with the blue lettering on the side.

"No way!" Rose choked.

Bella couldn't speak. She was in shock. Once again, her heart thundered and her breath caught in her throat.

As Edward walked from his van, Bella prepared to open the door for him. From behind her, she heard Rose, who was still gazing out the window mumble, "holy shit, it _is _Jake."

Bella opened the door before he knocked and as they smiled at each other, she felt a feeling that hadn't been quite as strong yesterday. It was _familiarity, _like she was about to greet her best friend. She gestured for him to enter and as soon as he saw Rose, he looked slightly embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," he said in his soft voice, "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Oh, not at all," Bella said cheerfully, "this is my cousin, Rosalie,"

He put his hand up in a little wave, "nice to meet you."

Rose was draining the spaghetti, "nice to meet you too. Do you want to join us for dinner?" She was always surprising to say the least.

Edward looked startled at this suggestion, but calmly answered her, "no thanks, I have to get going, but," then he turned to Bella and she didn't miss the way his eyes flickered over her body, from her hair to her face, down to her toes and back to her eyes, "I'm missing one of my wrenches. Did you find anything here?" His eyes were staring into her as he spoke and it took all her strength to act normal.

Bella shook her head, "no I haven't seen one, but let me check in the closet," she crossed the kitchen and living room, feeling the heat from his body close behind her. It was like it was reaching out to her, and for one second, the only thing in the world that she could think of was him behind her with his arms around her waist and his body pressed against hers, the way Jake had done in that dream she'd had a few nights earlier. She stood in front of the open closet door, her eyes roving over each corner of the closet, looking for his wrench. She searched slowly, and stood there even after she was done looking, just to feel him even closer behind her now, looking over her shoulder.

"I don't see it," he said, and Bella turned to face him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rose slowly setting the table with a huge smile on her face. She would bombard Bella with her opinion of the events as soon as he walked out the door.

Focusing on Edward again Bella said, "Sorry," as she closed the door.

"That's okay, I just thought it might be here," he hesitated on his way through the kitchen and Bella hoped he was reconsidering Rose's offer.

Rose seemed to read her mind, "are you sure you don't want some spaghetti or is your wife expecting you?"

Bella understood what Rose was doing, and she rolled her eyes at her cousin behind Edward's back.

He smiled and looked amused as he answered, "uh, no. I'm not married."

"Girlfriend?"

Bella was sure that if she was becoming uncomfortable, Edward had to have been, so she came to his rescue, "Rose…" Bella realized her reproach sounded like Gram's.

"No, that's okay," he told Bella, "actually I'm engaged," as soon as he spoke the words, her heart sunk to her feet. She felt like a weight was threatening to crush her chest. He took a breath and Bella thought she could see disappointment on his face, or maybe she was seeing what she wanted to see.

Rose didn't pester him again, and he turned back to Bella, "thanks," was all he said. Then he was gone.

Bella closed the door behind him and stood for a while leaning against the door, trying to compose herself.

Rose turned to face her as soon as the van was out of sight, "Oh my God! Can you say, 'chemistry'? There was definite chemistry between you two. I could almost see it. I thought he was going to grab you and drag you into the bedroom at any second! And he came all the way here just to look for his wrench? Yeah, right."

Bella had been thinking about the way Edward's smile seemed to stretch all the way across his face, and Rose's last statement broke her concentration, "what do you mean? He needs it to do his job."

Rose looked at Bella as if she had been born yesterday, "he couldn't have called? Do you think he drove around to every job he's been on since yesterday? I bet he didn't lose his wrench. I bet it was just an excuse to come here and see you."

Bella could feel herself starting to hope that was the case, and she reminded herself how dangerous that would be, "he's engaged," she reminded Rose grimly.

"So? I bet 'wrench' was a euphemism for cock," She laughed, "come on, dinner's ready."

Bella sat down with her, so deep in thought that she didn't even comment on Rose's last comment. Rose examined her expressions, but said little while they ate, and after the meal was cleaned up, she left after promising Bella that she would tell Grandma that Bella was fine, and that she would see her tomorrow.

She knew she would just end up disappointed if she let herself think too much about Edward and the way it felt when he looked at her and stood close to her. So Bella forced herself to put him out of her mind. She looked around her little home and decided it could use a good cleaning. And she knew she wouldn't be tired, having slept so much the night before, so she spent the evening with her rubber gloves pulled up to her elbows. By nine o'clock, the house was spotless and she found her mind drifting back to Edward, and his eyes, and his smile…

"Stop!" Bella told herself. She refused to let herself pine over a man she didn't know, only to be broken-hearted when it came to nothing. Instead, she looked over the books on the bookcase in the spare room. She picked out "Agnes Grey" by Ann Bronte because it was a little more challenging to read and it would keep her mind busy.

Bella traded jeans for her sweats again, turned off all the lights in the house except for the lamp by her bed, and sat up in bed to read her book. Although she shouldn't have been tired, she found her eyes starting to cross by the time she started chapter four. Bella lay down on her side to read, and she knew it was just a matter of time until she drifted to sleep.

"Bella," the sound of her name made her open her eyes. It was just a soft whisper that breezed by her ear. According to the clock, she hadn't been asleep for very long, so there was no disorientation. She sat up and looked around. By the light of her lamp, she could see nothing out of the ordinary.

"Bella," she heard it again. Confused and against her better judgment, she decided to answer,

"What do you want?" The house was silent except for the tick-tock of the cuckoo clock hanging on the wall in the living room.

She tried again, "I heard you calling my name. What do you want? Who are you?" Again, there was no answer.

Bella pushed her hair back away from her face, and rubbed her eyes. She was tempted to leave her lamp on that night, just in case she heard any more sounds, but the clouds had dispersed and the moon was bright outside her window, so she turned off the lamp and closed her eyes again, listening carefully to the silence, waiting for any sound that seemed out of place.

Bella awoke the next morning with an ache in her chest. She was thinking about the dream that she'd had before she was conscious that morning, and it clung to her mind, refusing to be forgotten like all the other dreams about Jake. In her dream, she was sleeping in her own room, on her right side like she usually did. She opened her eyes to see Jake, well Edward actually, because he was dressed all in dark blue. Edward was sitting on the edge of her bed watching her as she slept. He pushed a stray hair back from her face, and smiled when her eyes met his.

Although Bella could see right through him in this dream, he spoke and she could hear him just as plainly as when he had been here looking for his wrench, "Sorry," he apologized, smiling, "I couldn't help myself." The dream faded away and Edward was on her mind when she awoke.

Pushing back the covers, she resolved to do something, anything to get him out of her head.

** Recs:**

** The Cullen Campaign by Belladonna1472**

** The Art Teacher by Spanglemaker9**

** A Lot by Crimsonmarie – this is a one shot, but one of my favorites! I have quite a few one shots on my favorites list. Check them out!**

** Please review. Please? Reviewers get Edward knocking on their door...**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, what did you think of Repairward? He seems to have something weird going on...hmm...**

**This chapter is a bit long than the others, but hey, there's a lot going on with these two!**

**I do not have a beta, so please forgive any typos, grammatical errors, and the like...**

**Once again, SM owns all things Twilight. I own a white van that has 116,000 miles. At least it's paid for! **

XXXXX

Gram was glad to see her when Bella joined her for lunch that afternoon.

"Is Rose at work today?" Usually her cousin was downstairs by now, helping Gram get her lunch.

"Oh yes," she answered as she poured both her and Bella a cup of tea, "they wanted her to work mornings for a couple of weeks. Something about the manager being on vacation so they needed extra help during the day. So are you feeling better? Rose said you weren't feeling well last night."

Bella smiled. She could trust Rose with any secret. Even a crazy one like being obsessed with a person she'd only just met. "Yes, I feel much better," Bella lied. She didn't think she would feel better until she was able to see Edward again, but she knew she shouldn't think that way. There was no way that was going to happen.

"That's good. Did you get your furnace fixed?"

"It seems to be working. I didn't freeze last night, at least," she laughed and Bella continued, "did Rose tell you what happened yesterday?"

She nodded, "she said something about the repairman coming back to look for a wrench? Why didn't he just call?"

Bella shrugged, "who knows. I'm surprised she didn't tell you…he looks exactly...like Jake," Bella stared at her, trying to predict her reaction.

Gram looked at her, slightly confused, "who?" she asked before she took a tiny bite of her fruit.

"Your Uncle Jake? Remember the pictures?" She reminded her.

Her eyes lit up as she recalled their previous week of poring over her shoebox, and for a second she looked young, "he does?" Bella nodded and she was quiet for a minute, then she asked, "do you think you'll see him again?"

What was with my family? Bella wondered, "no, probably not. Not unless my furnace breaks." At that moment she had an inkling of how to see him again, but quickly pushed that thought from her head.

Grandma however, seemed to be able to read her thoughts, "you could always do something intentionally…" she trailed off and raised an eyebrow at her.

Bella groaned, "Gram. Are you a matchmaker, now?"

They laughed and finished their lunch with a little small talk about Thanksgiving in two weeks. Rose and Bella were going to meet there at Gram's on Thanksgiving morning to cook, and the whole family was going to be there; Charlie, Sue and her two teenagers, Rose's family; Uncle Garret, Aunt Kate, and Jasper, lots of distant relatives. Big family holidays were a tradition.

Bella left after Gram had settled in her living room. Although her television was on, Bella knew she would be dozing soon. Having successfully banished Edward from her mind, as least partially, she headed home to get as much work done as possible before the holidays.

XXXXXX

On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Rose and Bella decided it was time to head out to the grocery store. They needed to stock up on groceries for their dinner. That morning, before heading out, they decided on the menu and wrote out a list of what they would need. Their relatives were pitching in, so they really only needed to make the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing. Bella let Rose drive to the store. She just got a new car and was looking for any excuse to drive it. As soon as they got into town, though, Bella thought that maybe she should have driven. She had nothing to occupy her mind, and as she and Rose gossiped about family and the old friend Rose had run into after work last week, Bella's eyes were busy scanning every car on the road. It was absolutely ridiculous that she should be looking for a white van. But still, she couldn't stop herself from hoping that one would drive by. All week she had been able to focus on her work, having pushed Edward as far back into the small recesses of her mind as possible, but every night she dreamed of him sitting on the edge of her bed now. Every morning she awoke with the aching in her heart, wishing those dreams could be real.

The grocery store was already busy when they got there. Saturday. They should have known better. Rose manned the list and Bella pushed the cart, again wishing she had picked the job that required her to use a little bit of her mind. She was daydreaming and not really looking where she was going, and as she was rounding the corner into the baking aisle, she accidentally crashed her cart into the cart of the person who was turning the same corner from the opposite direction. Her face turned deep red, and she began to apologize profusely when she looked up and saw Edward staring at her.

"Edward...oh...I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going…" Bella stuttered and babbled as the shock of seeing him so suddenly made her unable to speak coherently.

His face was slightly red too, behind the bronze stubble, "that's okay, I didn't see you either…" there was an awkward silence as people milled about them.

"How have you been?" Bella asked.

"Fine, fine…How about you? Is your furnace doing okay?"

"It's been working just fine, thank you."

He smiled, rendering Bella breathless, "picking up your things for Thanksgiving?" he noted the turkey in her cart.

"Yeah, only a few days left," Rose was just coming up the aisle to find her and Bella gestured to her, "my cousin and I are making dinner at my grandmother's house. She lives in that huge white house that's just up the road and across the street from mine." In her nervousness, Bella couldn't stop babbling and she internally rolled her eyes at herself. He wouldn't care where her grandmother lived.

He nodded, "nice house…" he was about to say something else when Bella saw a woman walk up and put her hand through his arm and grasp his right hand, which was on the shopping cart handle. This was obviously his fiancee. She wasn't at all what Bella expected. She had expected someone a little younger, very pretty, and just as nice as could be. This woman was older than Bella, maybe older than Edward, with shiny red hair that hung straight to her chin. Her face was pinched in a way that made her look mean and prissy. She was pretty, in a way, but not pretty enough for him, Bella thought. Then she thought with a touch of sadness that if this woman wasn't pretty enough for him, then she certainly wasn't.

"Ready hon?" she asked him before she looked pointedly at Bella.

He nodded at her, then said to Bella, "it was nice seeing you again, Bella," then turned away before she was able to agree. As Bella stared after them, she saw the woman look up at him, say something, then turn around and look back at her, her eyes flat and black.

Bella quickly pushed her cart into the aisle and tried to collect her breath. A searing pain suddenly ripped from her throat, around to the back of her neck and down her spine. The pain made Bella gasp out loud and her hand clutched at the skin on the side of her neck.

Rose was by her side in an instant, "Bells? Are you okay?"

It was a moment before Bella could answer, "yeah, I think I'm fine." The pain disappeared as quickly as it had come on. She moved her head to the side, experimentally, touching her right ear to her shoulder, then her left, "I'm okay. I just got a weird pain in my neck."

Rose accepted her assessment and moved on to the next vitally important question,"was that the furnace guy?"

"Edward," Bella reminded her.

"Whatever. Oh my God, I can't believe he's here. What did he say to you? You were right...that guy is effing hot! I watched him, he was checking you out. Is that his fiancee or whatever? You're much prettier than she is, she looks like a witch." Rose babbled on as they walked. Bella let Rose find the items on their list. She was too busy scanning the store for Edward. Once, she saw him leave the aisle that herself and Rose were just about to go down, but he had his back to them and didn't see them. Bella wondered if his fiancee was as aware as Bella was and was keeping him away from her. Just as they were finishing up in the produce section she saw him again. She was picking out a bunch of bananas and happened to look up. He was looking at her over the banana display. Their eyes met and they smiled. Bella pushed her cart away before anyone had the chance to give her evil eye again.

"Checking you out..." Rose sang in a low voice.

"Shut up," Bella whispered back, but she couldn't help smiling.

The ride home was a quiet one. Rose sensed that Bella didn't want to talk, and she turned on the radio to fill the silence. After a few minutes consideration, Bella decided she did want to talk, and turned the radio down.

"You know, I've dreamed about him every night for the past week?"

Rose looked at her out of the corner of her eye, "there's something going on here, I can tell. Two acquaintances who happen to see each other don't look at each other the way you two do."

Bella squirmed in my seat, "but he's engaged. You saw her."

They were at a stoplight and Rose turned her head to look directly at her, "yes, engaged, not married. Maybe he met you at this time for a reason and you have to stop him from making a huge mistake."

Bella shook her head, "I don't know."

Rose accelerated when the light turned green, "well I do know, and things don't _just_ happen. Sometimes things happen for a reason."

XXXXX

Bella set her alarm to get up early on Thanksgiving morning. They were meeting at seven to get the turkey in the oven and Gram was supposed to help Bella make one of her amazing chocolate pies from another recipe that had been handed down. Throughout the morning, Rose and Bella mixed, and stirred. Gram sat in the kitchen with them and directed how to whip the meringue to just the right consistency or how far ahead of time they could peel and cut the potatoes.

Dinner wasn't supposed to be served until one, but family started arriving at ten to help. They didn't need much help. Rose and Aunt Kate set the table, then came into the kitchen to talk. The house was full of people; nieces, nephews and cousins were running around helping themselves to samples of food, somewhere in the house a baby was crying. Rose had even invited her old college friend, Alice, whom she had run into a couple of weeks ago. Alice didn't have any family in the area and would have been all alone for the holiday. Rose and Bella looked at each other. They loved every minute of it, just like Gram. It didn't seem like a holiday unless the house was full of chaos.

Bella was just taking the stuffing out of the oven when she heard a knock on the door. Jasper, who was leaning against the counter flirting with Alice, frowned and cocked his head to the side, "who could that be?" he asked, "I thought everyone was here."

Rose went to answer the door and came back followed by Edward. It took all Bella's strength to hold onto the pan of stuffing and put it back in the oven. He was smiling with the most apologetic smile on his face.

"Someone wants to talk to you, Bella," Rose said and her voice was full of meaning.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt your holiday, Bell, but I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute?"

She was momentarily distracted by the way he said her nickname, as if it were the most natural word he'd ever said. Somehow she collected herself enough to introduce him to her grandmother, Alice and Jasper, all of whom were standing silently nearby, their eyes flickering back and forth from his uncomfortable expression to Bella's blushing face.

Gram was not nearly as shy as Bella was at this moment, "Edward, it's very nice to meet you. Bella, you were right, he does look just like my Uncle Jake."

Bella hadn't thought it was possible to be any more embarrassed, but it happened. Now he knew she was talking about him when he wasn't here. Could it get any worse?

"We'll just be in the dining room," Alice rescued them, putting her hand under Gram's elbow and pulling her into the other room. Rose and Jasper followed.

"I'm really sorry about bursting in. It's just that I remember you saying where your grandmother lived, and when I drove to your house, I didn't see your car…" he apologized again.

Bella was aware of several family members standing just inside the dining room, probably doing their best to listen, so she grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door, into the shelter of the side porch. She had a sweatshirt on and after being in the hot kitchen, the cold air felt good as she stepped through the door. Bella turned around to face him, but before she could speak, he had her face in his gentle hands and was kissing her. As soon as his lips touched hers, every dream that she'd had came back to her, every letter between Marie and Jake, every picture, swirled around inside her head. Bella was a writer, and it was her job to create impossible love stories with love at first sight and happily ever after. However, despite what her mother said, she never really thought love actually existed that way. Bella was wrong. She realized for the first time that she had loved him from the very moment he walked in her door and that for very few people, love existed in a way that was stronger, more powerful than any author can ever describe. She didn't struggle or push him away. She put her hands on his waist and pulled herself closer to him, further into the kiss. Edward moved one hand from her face into the hair at the back of her neck while his tongue softly traced her lower lip. She instinctively opened for him and had to struggle not to moan out loud at the feel of their tongues tangling together.

Time stopped as they stood there on the porch. The kiss seemed to go on forever, when he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. At first, he seemed slightly on edge, as if ready to move if she were to push him away. She didn't.

"I'm so sorry. That was out of line. I only came here to talk to you, I didn't mean…"

Bella interrupted his apology, "it's okay. Don't apologize."

Edward pulled his arms from around Bella's waist and took both of her hands in his, "I know this is crazy, but I feel like I know you. From the moment I first pulled into your driveway, I felt like I was…home…and I was going to go crazy if I didn't see you again. Does that sound strange?"

"No, not strange at all," Bella felt like she was slightly high, "I feel like _I've_ known _you _my whole life, but…"

"But what?" he asked, concerned.

"But what about your fiancee?"

"Victoria," he sighed and looked away.

Bella didn't know what to say. He put his hand on the side of her neck, resting it on her shoulder. He was still standing entirely too close, and the heat crashing over her reminded her of the heat coming out of the oven when she had opened it earlier. Taking a breath Bella took a hold of his hand and moved it from her face.

"You're engaged," she said sadly, shaking her head. Bella hadn't let go of his hand and he squeezed it now.

He nodded.

She pulled her hands away and said, "go home to Victoria. She's probably wondering where you are," he nodded again and stepped away, allowing Bella to open the door and go back in the house. Instead of going in to the rest of her family, she ran up the stairs to Rose's part of the house where she could be alone for a few minutes.

As soon as Bella locked the bathroom door, the tears started. She wept for several minutes, wondering if she had done the right thing. Edward must have sat in his car for a while, because it wasn't until she was sitting on the closed toilet, collecting herself and wiping her eyes, that she saw his car slowly back out of the driveway. The sight of him leaving, knowing she might never see him again sent her into another round of hysterical sobbing.

When Bella joined the rest of the family downstairs, Rose and Aunt Kate were just putting dinner on the table. Charlie and Grandma turned to look at her curiously. Ignoring them, she sat next to Gram and took the mashed potatoes that Rose handed to her.

There were several murmured conversations around the table so Sue turned to her, "who was that, Bella? I don't think I know him."

"His name is Edward. He fixed my furnace a couple weeks ago," Bella spoke without meeting her eyes, concentrating on pouring gravy onto her plate.

Rose was walking behind them on the way to her seat, on the other side of Bella. She bent over and stuck her head close to their ears and whispered, "and he loves her," in a sing-song voice. She sounded like a ten year old picking on her older sister.

Grandma was the only other person who heard, "well of course he does! Look at her, she's wonderful!" she exclaimed.

They ate in silence for a few more minutes, "so what did he want to talk about on Thanksgiving?" Charlie asked from across the table, accusitorally.

Bella shrugged. She didn't feel that this was a conversation for the dinner table with her whole family sitting around. Instead she ignored him and changed the subject, "Rose, this jello salad is so good! It tastes just like Gram's!" Bella said with as much enthusiasm as she could.

Rose smiled and said, "well I can't wait to try your chocolate pie. It looks like it turned out good."

"I hope it tastes good, too," Bella answered.

That got a whole round of conversation started about food and favorite recipes from Grandma, and Bella's visitor was forgotten by every one but Bella. Maybe not completely forgotten. Every once in awhile she would catch someone eyeing her curiously, but at least he wasn't mentioned. After the meal, the men retired to the living room to watch football and yell at the kids for getting in the way. The women stayed in the dining room and gossiped over dessert. The topic this year was the shoebox of pictures and letters, which Bella had recently returned to Grandma. Aunt Kate was slowly going through them, oohing and ahhing while Gram explained. Bella didn't want to hear about them at the moment, her head was too full of Edward. She got up and began to clear the dinner plates. She filled the sink with soapy water and let her mind drift. She was thinking about Edward, about how it felt with his arms around her. He had held her so close, but it hadn't been close enough. She though about how it felt with her arms around his waist, around his back, grasping his arms, trying to pull herself closer…

After a few moments, Rose joined her in the kitchen, startling Bella when she didn't hear her approach. She began drying the dishes that Bella had already washed and stacked in the dish drainer.

"So what did he want to talk about?" she asked quietly, almost conspiratorially.

"He said he just wanted to see me again," Bella's voice should have been joyful, but it sounded dull, dead.

Rose was alive, however, "really? That is awesome! I knew he liked you!"

She turned her head to look at her, "Rose, he's engaged! He shouldn't be feeling that way about me!"

"But aren't you at least a little bit happy knowing he feels that way?"

"Of course I am, but it just makes this so much harder," Bella hesitated, "he kissed me."

Rose's eyes widened and a smile spread across her face, "he did? How was it? He looks like a good kisser…" she talked on, not giving Bella a chance to answer. But that was okay. Bella didn't know how to answer her. How was it? Her pounding heart was the answer to that question.

The day dragged on and the only thing Bella wanted more than to escape to her own little home was to pull into her driveway and see Edward sitting there waiting for her. But it was not to be. Her driveway and her house were empty when she got there that evening after promising Rose and Alice that she would be ready at four the next morning to hit the black Friday sales. It was not something Bella necessarily wanted to do, but she agreed because it would keep her busy, keep her mind off of other things that made her sad, and also because she hadn't done any Christmas shopping yet.

Four o'clock came early the next morning. Bella had heard a few footsteps outside her bedroom that night, but otherwise the night was uneventful. No strange dreams to make her wake up with an ache in her heart. She showered quickly and was ready to go by 3:55.

Bella jumped into the passenger seat of Rose's vintage 1969 Mustang with her travel mug and yawned. Rose had her hair pulled up into a pony tail and looked like she was ready to fight it out with all the other crazies at the mall. They picked up Alice and the three of them talked and laughed on the way, catching up on things that they hadn't had a chance to talk about during the previous day. Bella could see herself becoming close to Alice. She was a bright, peppy, energetic girl. A girl with a huge crush on Jasper, apparently, given the way she couldn't seem to stop talking about him.

The mall in Port Angeles was crowded and noisy, but Bella felt herself enjoying the atmosphere. People walked busily from store to store and Christmas music drifted down from the ceiling above. Sometime during the night, trees, garlands, and other Christmas decorations appeared throughout the mall turning it into a wonderland. They found the sales we were looking for without much trouble, watched the kids talking to Santa Claus for a few minutes, and before lunch, they were laden with shopping bags, waiting in line at Macy's, their last stop. Rose and Alice were having a conversation with the woman in line ahead of them when Bella got shoved from behind. She stumbled forward a step.

"Oh, excuse me," said a cold voice.

Bella turned to accept the apology and found herself looking into Victoria's, Edward's fiancee's hard, black eyes. She was staring at Bella in a way that made her think she was not sorry at all. Abruptly, the sides of Bella's neck began throbbing and a strange pain that she had never felt before crackled down her spine. Beside Victoria, her friend, who looked just as mean and prissy as Victoria, was also staring daggers at Bella.

Bella's face flushed, "no, excuse me," she mumbled and turned back around. She could feel the knives being stared into her back, and she thought of the expression, 'if looks could kill'. The line could not move fast enough, although their cashier was fairly quick. As soon as Bella had paid for her items, she grabbed Rose's arm with one hand and pulled her out of the store.

They decided to leave the mall for lunch, and since it wasn't quite noon, Alice's favorite restaurant, _La Bella Italia,_ wasn't busy yet. As soon as they were settled and the waitress had taken their drink orders, Bella leaned across the table and spoke to Rose in a low voice, "you know that woman that bumped into me in line at Macey's?" She nodded, so Bella continued, "that's Edward's fiancee".

Alice leaned forward as well, "who's Edward?"

"You know, that guy at the house yesterday…" before Bella even finished speaking, Rose's face changed into a surprised expression.

"Are you serious? Does she know you?"

"I think so, we ran into them at the store last week, remember? I was talking to him, and she came up and was all over him, as if she had something to prove," Bella's tone was disgusted, but what she really felt was envy.

"I bet she bumped into you on purpose," Rose concluded and Alice nodded in agreement

Bella agreed, "I think so too."

Alice's expression changed again, "but you're not seeing him or anything, are you?"

"Oh no, of course not. I've bumped into him a couple times, but that's it. I was completely surprised to see him at Gram's yesterday," Bella realized her tone was wistful by the end of her statement.

"Okay, that's good. I wouldn't want to see you get caught up in something like that."

"Don't worry, that's his issue," and they laughed, because this Victoria did indeed seem more like an issue than a girlfriend.

XXXX

Time seemed to drag lately. There was no color, no light in Bella's day these last few days. Even things she enjoyed doing, such as writing, or visiting with her grandmother seemed to frustrate her. Grandma, Rose, Aunt Kate and herself were making Christmas cookies at Gram's house one Saturday before Christmas, and Bella was antsy as Gram told a story about her Grandfather's ancestor, one that they had heard several times, but enjoyed hearing again.

"In about 1640, the Swans came from Lancashire, England, and were settled in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. This was before they moved west. Like most early immigrants, the Swans were men of strong character, but small estates. They excelled at mechanical and agricultural occupations, which suited them perfectly for life in this new world. But even among other immigrants, the Swans were distinguished from the very beginning. They had the respect of the community and became immediately concerned in the management of the entire colony of Massachusetts.

"John Swan, the first immigrant was a large, strong man, who established himself in Lancashire, England, then on the frontiers of this new civilization. He had built for himself a good estate and defended it bravely from attacks of the Indians nearby.

"It is said that he served under Cromwell while still in England and he brought with him to the new world a helmet and a coat of mail armor that was used by officers in England at that time. We have heard that John was a sturdy, strong man, and whenever he had difficulty with the Indians, he put on his helmet and armor, which gave him a fearful appearance. On one occasion, the Indians stole a valuable horse from John, so he put on his armor and chased after them, and after a little while, overtook the group that had his horse. The Indians were surprised to see him alone, and one of the chiefs approached him with his tomahawk in the air. John told him to strike, which he did. The Chief was amazed to find that the blow did not hurt him at all. He asked John to let him put it on, and then for John to strike him on the head. But the helmet was too small for the Indian's head, and the blow settled it down to his ears, scraping off the skin on both sides. They gave him his horse and let him go, thinking that he was a supernatural being."

Grandma had noticed Bella's preoccupation during her tale, "You've been quiet lately, Isabella," Grandma said quietly when she had finished, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Bella lied, "Just tired. I haven't been sleeping well."

Gram's brow furrowed as she looked at Bella, and she put her fragile, wrinkled hand on Bella's, stopping her from lifting up a Christmas tree cookie cutter, "it'll be alright. It'll all work out, I promise." As Bella looked at her, her eyes burned with conviction, and suddenly Bella realized she was right. If something was meant to be, it would all work out somehow.

Bella smiled, a little more naturally this time, "I know. I'll be fine."

Gram smiled too, still looking concerned, and pulled her hand back, "that's my girl," she murmured quietly, and Bella realized she hadn't heard her say those words in years. It was funny how she knew exactly what Bella needed to hear when she needed to hear it.

After all of the cookies had been separated into take-home containers, and everything was cleaned up, Bella sat with Grandma while Rose helped her mother carry things to her car.

Grandma informed her that she had to use the bathroom and excused herself. When she returned, she handed Bella something. It was the framed wedding picture of her and Grandpa from her dresser. Bella looked at her questioningly.

Her face was serene, "this picture means the world to me, and I know that I can trust you to take care of it. You're the only one who can truly appreciate it," before Bella could respond, she continued, looking straight into her eyes, "sometimes things are so important or special that they can never die. Sometimes things are meant to be and not even death can stop them. Do you understand?" She spoke with more energy than Bella had seen from her in a long time.

Bella was locked in her gaze, "I think so."

She relaxed and smiled, "I don't think you truly do, not yet. But you will when the time is right."

XXXXXX

On Christmas Eve, Bella went to Gram's for breakfast instead of lunch, since their afternoon and evening would be busy. Every year on Christmas Eve, Bella would take Grandma to church, then they would gather with their family again to exchange gifts. After they had eaten and Gram was in her chair, waiting for her soaps to come on, Rose asked if Bella wanted to run to the store with her. She still had a couple of gifts she had to pick up. Bella drove this time, but that didn't stop her from looking for that white van, the same way she always looked for it when she was in town.

"I haven't been able to ask," Rose began, "but have you seen Edward lately?"

Bella shook her head, "not since Thanksgiving."

She chuckled once, "what did you do, tell him to go away and never talk to you again?"

"No. I told him that he should go home because Victoria was probably wondering where he was."

She looked out the windshield for a second, "who's Victoria?"

"His fiancee," Bella's answer was short, and her voice must have closed the subject because Rose didn't ask anymore questions.

The mall was atrociously busy, and it was almost noon by the time they fought their way out of the parking lot. "Want to grab some lunch while we're out?" Rose asked, "my treat. I got my Christmas bonus yesterday."

Bella smiled at her, "sure, as long as you're treating," the busyness of the mall had pushed Edward to the far recesses of her mind and she was starting to feel the holiday spirit.

They chose a family restaurant. The kind with the bar somewhere in the building and flat screen TV's hanging in every corner. The waitress showed them to a booth near the door.

They were studying the menus and laughing about nothing in particular when Bella happened to look up because she noticed a waitress coming their way. Bella thought she was coming to take their orders, but instead she was seating a group of men at the table across the aisle and up one from theirs. One of the men was wearing a nice suit, but the other two were wearing dark blue pants and dark blue shirts. The last man in the line was Edward. He was watching Bella giggle like a schoolgirl as he approached, but as soon as her eyes met his, the laughter stopped. Bella smiled politely at him and he nodded back. Rose turned in her seat to see whom her cousin had acknowledged, although she could probably tell by the look on her face. Edward slid into the seat next to the man in the suit, facing Bella, and leaned across the aisle.

"How have you been, Bella? It's good to see you again."

His voice made the heat spread through her like wildfire, even though she was a little disappointed that he didn't call her Bell again. Rose was staring at the menu, not reading anything. Her eyes were huge and she was doing all she could to keep from laughing.

"It's good to see you too," Bella tried to make her voice sound like she meant the words. She didn't have to try too hard. "My furnace still works great, thank you," she added, just in case the man in the suit was his boss.

Edward smiled broadly, "good. I'm glad." And he winked at her. She wondered if he could hear how loud her heart was thumping from where he sat? She was somewhat surprised the sound didn't fill the whole restaurant.

The waitress came to take their orders, and Edward sat back into his seat. The man in the suit reclaimed his attention and was handing him a paper of some sort. It was a business lunch. Not wanting to disturb him, Bella turned her attention back to Rose. She leaned across the table, "oh my God!" she breathed, "I can't believe you're running into him _again! _And in Port Angeles of all places! I mean, if we were in Forks I would expect it, but forty-five minutes from home? What are the chances they would pick this particular restaurant?" Bella appreciated that Rose's voice was low and wouldn't carry back to his seat. Bella tried to smile and laugh normally while she conversed with Rose. She didn't want Edward to think she was freaking out just because he walked into the room, which she was. All through the meal, her eyes kept glancing towards him of their own accord. Some of the times he was looking at whoever was talking at his table, but then other times, he was glancing at Bella. He would meet her eye and grin. She would grin back.

Rose rolled her eyes, "I wish you would just ask him out. I feel like I'm in ninth grade."

"I can't ask him out," Bella argued, "engaged, remember?"

She shrugged, "maybe he broke up with her."

"How about this, I'll wait a couple of months, break my furnace, then when he comes to fix it, I'll ask him if he's still engaged."

Rose laughed and shook her head, "you can tell him that he doesn't have to fix your furnace, he can just stay there with you and keep you warm."

Bella laughed and her face turned red. Fanning her face with her hand, she said, "all he has to do is look at me and I get warm." Her eyes drifted to Edward again, and he was looking at her curiously as he chewed. Her blush deepened.

Time flew. Rose and Bella stayed where they were, even after they were done eating, since Edward and his co-workers were still in their seats. They split a dessert so it wouldn't look like they were waiting around for him, although they were.

Bella had finally accepted the fact that they were going to have to leave, and she was signing the receipt that the waitress had brought when Edward's soft voice startled her, and she jumped, her signature moving off the line.

"Merry Christmas, Bell. I really hope to see you again soon," Bella looked up at him and he was standing next to her table, his two companions already heading towards the door. His eyes were boring in to her, and everything besides the two of them seemed to disappear. She wondered what expression he saw on her face.

"Thanks, I hope so too," Bella stared back at him for a moment, reveling in the way he called her 'Bell' but then he looked at Rose, said, "Merry Christmas," and walked away.

Bella sat back against the seat and regained control of her breathing. Rose was motionless, with her hand over her mouth, "I could see it that time," she said behind her hand.

"See what?" Bella asked.

"The chemistry. It was so obvious…"

Bella cut her off, "come on. We need to help Gram get ready for tonight."

XXXXX

Christmas came and went. It had been weeks since Bella seen Edward, and even though she was able to work and do the things she enjoyed, he was never out of her thoughts. When she sat at her kitchen table writing, she would look out of the corner of her eye at the corner closet where he had fixed her furnace. She was starting to wonder if he was real. Maybe he was just one of the ghosts she had seen here. They seemed to have vanished too, because except for a few footsteps outside the bedroom door at night, the house was unnaturally quiet. No cold chills during the day, no feelings that she wasn't alone, and no apparitions while she was writing. Although she was able to laugh and smile and enjoy her life in a small way, it wasn't the same as before. It was as if everything had been covered with a dark gray cloud. And the coming months would make it worse. As soon as January hit, and the Christmas decorations were put away, her seasonal affective disorder would kick in and Bella knew she would have to find something to help her make it through the rest of the winter. January and February were hard for her. She wanted to hibernate through the next two months. Maybe she was part bear. Walking to Gram's for lunch every day would help. Something about the fresh air and exercise.

Things didn't get much better, even with the walking, though. Grandma was 81 years old, and although Bella would never admit it out loud, her health was declining. Every day Bella joined her for lunch and watched helplessly as the food left over on her plate seemed to grow by the day. Every afternoon by the time she left, Gram seemed more and more tired.

One Monday afternoon during the middle of February, Rose pulled Bella aside after Grandma started dozing in her chair in the living room. She was near hysterics.

"I'm so worried about her, Bella. This morning when she got up, she was talking about going to see Grandpa. Maybe I should take her to the doctor, do you think?"

Bella chewed on the inside of her cheek, "I don't know. How did she sound? Did she sound scared?"

Rose thought about it for a second, "not really. She sounded…kind of…resolved? Maybe relieved? I think that's the word I'm looking for."

Bella nodded, and a realization hit her, "I don't want it to happen either," she was reluctant to say the words, lest the words curse them and become true, "but it would be wonderful for her, wouldn't it? To be in a place where her arthritis doesn't hurt her, and where she can be with Grandpa?"

Rose nodded, but her face crumpled and Bella pulled her into a hug. It was such a helpless feeling, knowing that it was going to happen soon but also knowing that there was nothing they would be able to do about it.

And happen, it did. That night. Bella awoke to her phone ringing and a hysterical Rose on the other end. She passed away peacefully in her sleep with a smile on her face. The overwhelming grief washed over Bella as she hung up the phone. She sat on the edge of her bed and sobbed for a long time, mourning her grandmother. 'Time to stop being selfish', she thought, 'there are going to be people who need me and it is time to get dressed and to do what I can for the rest of them'. She paused in front of her dresser as she was taking clothes out of it. Grandma's picture caught her eye and she smiled, in spite of the grief. She was happy now, Bella knew it, "some things are meant to be and not even death can stop them" she repeated her grandmother's words from memory.

Time no longer dragged with a dull monotony, the next couple of days flew by in a flash. Her book was forgotten and she spent her time helping her father and Uncle Garret with funeral arrangements and consoling other members of her family. Bella didn't allow herself to think about Edward during this time. Her family needed all of her attention. But at night as she was crawling exhausted into bed, he would creep back into her thoughts. She wondered where he was and what he was doing. She wondered if he thought about her as much as she thought about him. Bella still missed him, but the pain was tolerable now. Time was seeing to that.

Wednesday evening was the viewing. The funeral would be Thursday. Bella's family had arrived just before six and had their private time with Gram's remains. Six until eight would be the public viewing hours. They all dutifully lined up a few feet away from the casket in a line to receive those wishing to pay their respects. The children of the deceased along with their spouses were first in line, followed by the grandchildren with their spouses. Rose and Bella stood toward the end, holding hands. Bella couldn't keep her eyes off of Grandma, lying not twenty feet away, and no matter how much she cleared her throat, she couldn't clear the lump that was obstructing it. 'Just a few hours more', Bella told herself, 'just keep it together for a couple hours, then you can go home'.

Distant relatives, friends, and people she had never seen before filed past, shaking their hands and hugging them, making them feel worse with their 'I'm sorry's' and 'God bless you's'. Bella was talking to a neighbor that she hadn't seen in years. Bella used to sell Girl Scout cookies to her when she was little, and she was raving over how all of the grandchildren had grown up so fast when Rose stifled a gasp. Bella looked at her like she was crazy and noticed her eyes were locked on the doorway. Bella followed her gaze and gasped slightly as well, when she noticed Edward. His eyes found hers and he smiled slightly, nodding a hello in her direction. The friendly neighbor noticed that Bella's attention was suddenly diverted and she bid Bella and Rose goodbye.

Bella felt light headed because her heart was pounding so fast. Edward walked to the casket for a moment to pay his respects, then followed the people in front of him to the receiving line. Her eyes followed him, unable to look away. He was dressed nicely in khakis and a long sleeved, light blue shirt with a collar. He had also shaved. Bella had almost not recognized him with out his five o'clock shadow and baseball cap. But it was definitely him. She could hear his voice above the low murmur of conversation in the room as he talked to Rose's mother briefly.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," he said politely.

"Thank you so much," Aunt Kate, a bit of confusion in her voice, as he made his way down the line.

All of Bella's worst fears and greatest hopes were granted then as he stood before her. He reached out to shake her hand, which she eagerly gave him. A warmth traveled through her at his touch and she relaxed slightly.

"I'm so sorry. How have you been?"

Bella could see the concern in his wide, green eyes, could hear it in his voice, and all at once, the careful wall that she had built to keep her tears inside fell into rubble. She could feel her face crumple and she put her free hand over her face, to hide the tears. She had spent three days holding it together, comforting everyone else. Three days worth of mourning were about to escape. Edward used the hand that he still held to pull her to a small grouping of chairs. As he gently sat her down, he put his arms around her, pulling her against him. She wept quietly against his shoulder while he rubbed his hand down the back of her hair, whispering softly to her. He didn't try to make her stop crying, just held her and let her sob. After awhile the tears stopped, and she dragged in a ragged breath, trying to get the nerve to move her face and look him in the eye. When she did, though, she wondered what she had been nervous about. He looked kinder than she had ever seen him.

Bella wiped at her eyes and looked down, embarrassed, "I'm sorry. I've been trying so hard not to do that."

Her face was burning, and she realized that he had moved his hands to both sides of her face, rubbing her cheeks, "it's okay. I understand. Are you okay?"

Bella tried to smile, "I think so. I feel better now, thank you." She looked around the room, then back to him, "what are you doing here?"

Edward said, "I saw the obituary in the paper, and I wanted to pay my respects. I hope I'm not intruding, but I didn't know if…maybe you needed…"

Yes, he was right. She had needed someone to cry on, too.

He smiled too, then dropped his hands and leaned back, slightly away from her. Both of his hands continued to hold on to one of hers, however, as they talked.

"You were very close to your grandmother." Certainty made this a statement.

"Yes, extremely close. I was closer to her than anyone else in the world. She taught me so much," as she spoke, her eyes drifted to the casket again, but the lump had been cleared out of her throat and she didn't worry about holding her tears inside, "she was wonderful. So caring and sweet," Bella looked at him now, "she always knew the right thing to say, right when I needed to hear it...even if I didn't necessarily _want_ to hear it."

He smiled back at her, then looked over her shoulder. Bella followed his eyes and realized that the room was almost empty of everyone except close family, "what time is it?" She asked him.

He looked at a watch, "about 8:15."

That surprised her, "really? I didn't realize it was so late." Bella was eager to leave the funeral home, but she was not ready for him to leave, yet. She had the sudden urge to talk to someone who didn't know enough about her to jump to conclusions or make hasty judgments.

He reluctantly let go of Bella's hand and stood up as if preparing to leave. Bella stood, too, then spoke without thinking, "that restaurant down the street, they have a little bar in the back. Would you want to go get a drink with me?"

He raised his eyebrows slightly, and he nodded, "yeah. I'd like to." Looking around, he noticed that her family was beginning to converge to discuss plans for tomorrow, "I'll meet you outside, is that okay?"

Bella smiled at how he seemed to know exactly what she needed, just like Gram, "perfect. I'll be right out."

She joined her father where she stood with the rest of the family, putting her arm around his waist and her head on his shoulder. They were planning who the pall bearers were going to be. Charlie put his arm around Bella, too, and as everyone parted to put their coats on and return home for the night he said, "I don't know what's going on with you and that guy, but...I suppose I'm glad he was here for you tonight," Charlie's voice was gruff and uncomfortable.

Bella smiled serenely, "I'll be fine, Dad. Trust me." They were just walking through the door then and they both noticed Edward leaning against one of the columns in front of the entrance of the funeral home.

Charlie looked at Bella, surprised, but said nothing. He just raised an eyebrow as he hugged Bella one last time before walking with Jasper to the cruiser.

Edward smiled as Bella approached him, "do you want to take my car or just walk?"

Bella lifted her face to look at the sky. It was a clear night, the sky full of stars. Although the air was cold, there was not even the slightest breeze.

"Let's walk," she said, "it's a really nice night."

He didn't look surprised by her choice and they turned to walk slowly down the sidewalk. Bella wanted him to hold her hand again, but she knew that under the present situation, that might not be such a great idea. The restaurant was not far away, less than a quarter mile. They entered using the door on the side of the building, the one that led directly to the bar, and Edward led her to a quiet table in the corner. To Bella's surprise, Edward held the chair out for her.

"Wow, very chivalrous," Bella commented.

He smiled, "I'm old fashioned."

There was a slight awkward silence before the waitress came up to take their orders. Bella tried to think quickly. She was not much of a drinker, and usually had a hard time ordering in bars. She went with her usual stand by, "Bud Light, please," just one, to take the edge off. Then she would switch to a Diet Coke. Edward ordered the same.

Neither spoke until their drinks arrived, and he grinned as Bella began to drink from the bottle, ignoring the mug that the waitress had brought, "wow. Straight from the bottle."

Bella smiled, "yeah, mugs are for sissies."

He laughed and she realized that she had never seen him so relaxed. It made her feel warmer inside. Bella stopped smiling and suddenly turned serious. She broached a subject that he probably wished she would forget about, "so does Victoria know you're here?" She wanted to come right out and ask if he was single now, but was still way too chicken to do it.

He looked at her warily, "it really doesn't matter."

Bella frowned, "what do you mean, 'it doesn't matter?' It really does matter!" She exclaimed.

Edward grimaced, shaking his head, "I left her. A few weeks ago. I'm staying with my dad until I can find another place."

She looked at her bottle until she knew she could control her expression. It would be rude to smile or cheer like she wanted to. Bella knew she should change the subject, but there was a part of her that clung to it for some reason, "so how long were you engaged?"

Instantly, he was nervous again, "we were together for two years, engaged for one," he gave Bella more information than she had asked for, but she was glad for it, "last year, we weren't doing too well, you know, fighting all the time. Breaking up and getting back together, and I moved out then. She called me up one day and told me she was pregnant. So I did the right thing and asked her to marry me. About two weeks later, she had a miscarriage," he stopped and looked at the tablecloth.

Bella tried to decipher the look on his face, "you proposed, but didn't really want to marry her?"

He looked up, indignant, "she was pregnant. It was the right thing to do."

"Do you think she was really pregnant or was she using it as a way of holding onto you?" As soon as Bella said the words, she wished she hadn't, "I'm sorry, that was rude, I don't know her and shouldn't have said that."

"No, that's okay. You're right. I found out from her friend recently that she was faking it."

"That's the reason you broke it off with her?"

"One of the reasons," he replied, looking at Bella.

She could tell that he was uncomfortable discussing this with her. She was growing uncomfortable, herself. They sat, avoiding eye contact and occasionally taking a drink.

Edward broke the silence, changing the subject, "so how long have you been a writer?"

They were both more comfortable with this topic, "well, I've always loved writing. English was my favorite subject in school. I worked at The Forks Bank after school to pay the bills, but once I got my first book published when I was twenty-two, I started writing full time."

He sat leaning forward with his elbows on the table, listening to her, "what kind of books do you write?"

"Mostly historical fiction. My grandmother always told us stories about our relatives and I think she gave me her love for history," Bella smiled, "she could take a boring history lesson and make it into something more exciting than any movie out there."

Edward smiled too, "she sounds like a really great person. Do you have brothers and sisters?"

Bella shook her head, "no, but my cousins, Rose and Jasper are like my siblings. I've got a step-brother and a step-sister, Seth and Leah. Leah's pregnant now, so soon I'll be a step-aunt. And my aunt and uncle are nearby, like another set of parents," she laughed.

He smiled wider at her laughter, "Sounds like you're really close to your family. How long have you lived where you're living now?"

"All my life. I know that must sound kind of pathetic. My family has owned the house where I live for almost 150 years. We used to own most of the neighborhood, back when it was just farmland. My parents divorced when I was ten, then about five years ago, my mother got remarried and moved to Phoenix. My dad lives in La Push with his new wife."

"So now it's just you." he finished, "do you ever want to move away, too?"

Bella shrugged, "no. I love it there. I belong there," She said this with conviction.

Edward smiled and nodded, "I can tell. Living there suits you. I don't think I could picture you anywhere else."

Shaking her head, Bella replied, "no. I can't imagine it," she paused, sure she must be talking too much, "so now what about you? Are you from this area?"

Edward leaned back and stretched his legs out in front of him, "no. I was born and raised just outside of Chicago. When I was seventeen, my dad got a job in Port Angeles at the hospital, so we moved up here. I thought I was going to hate it, but actually I loved it. I made a few good friends, and I felt comfortable here in a way that I hadn't in Chicago."

"Brothers and sisters?" Bella asked

"One sister, Tanya. She's older and was already out of the house when we moved. She stayed in Chicago. My mom, Elizabeth, died about seven years ago, so now it's me and Dad. I go to his house almost every night for dinner after work."

She had to smile, "just like me and Gram. I have...had...lunch with her almost every day."

Edward took his last swig of beer and sat the bottle down on the table. It seemed to have relaxed him just enough to get him talking a little more, "so how is it a girl like you isn't married yet?"

Bella was almost offended, "what do you mean, a girl like me?"

He was instantly contrite, "oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything. I just mean, smart, successful, beautiful. I would think someone would have snatched you up by now."

He thought she was beautiful? Hope filled every inch of her heart, but she grimaced and looked away from him. She was uncomfortable talking about relationships, so she looked at her bottle and pretended to busy herself with tearing off the label, "I've had a few relationships. I was actually engaged once. I thought he was just about perfect. Everyone else did too," Bella sighed, "but as perfect as he was, I _couldn't_ marry him…he just wasn't…" she trailed off, not sure how to explain.

Edward finished her thought, "the one?"

She looked up then and saw him staring at her intently, She spoke again, unable to look away, "exactly."

The spell was broken by the waitress approaching their table, "another round?" she asked, batting her overly-made up eyes at Edward.

Bella unintentionally narrowed her eyes, "just Diet Coke for me."

"Same," Edward glanced at her then back to Bella.

Bella stared at him for a moment, contemplating, "why do you seem so familiar to me, do you think?" She mused out loud.

He sat with his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand, "I don't know. Same reason I know you, somehow."

Bella had a flashback to Thanksgiving Day, standing on Gram's porch, "what did you mean, you knew me since the first moment you pulled into my driveway?"

He looked uncomfortable, "I think I was…" he began, then changed direction, "okay, I'm gonna tell you this, but I…I don't want you to make any judgments until you've heard me out," his smile disappeared and he watched his long fingers clasp and unclasp over and over.

She sat unmoving, wondering what he could have to say to her.

He laughed once, nervously, then hesitated, looking into her eyes as if to make sure it was really safe to expose himself, "okay. The reason I know your house is because I've been having dreams about it, both the inside and out, since I was a kid, about 8 years old. Whenever I dreamed about it, I never saw anyone. I was just walking around outside, then I would climb the front steps and walk around inside. Both the inside and out looked exactly the same as in my dreams. Even the furniture was the same. When I drove up that first afternoon, I freaked out. I couldn't believe that house was real. I had just thought it was something in my imagination. It was a good ten minutes before I could get out and go to your door. I almost turned around and drove away. The only thing that kept me there was that I… I hoped it would really be you inside."

Bella's heart raced, "you hoped I would be there? How do you know me? Have you been stalking me?" She tried to make it sound like a joke, but she couldn't get it to come out right. What if he had?

"About a year or so ago, I got a second job for awhile where I was working nights. I slept for a few hours during the day. And almost every day I dreamed about your house, like usual. Except one day I dreamed that I saw a young woman there. In that first dream, she was washing dishes. She dropped something into the soapy water and as I watched her laugh at herself and wipe the suds off her nose, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," the corner of his mouth turned up into a wistful smile as he remembered. "In another dream she was having coffee with another young woman, and in still another, I saw her helping an old lady up her steps and to the kitchen table where she served the old woman a meal. But most of the time, she just sat at the table in front of a laptop, typing away. Most of the time I dream that I'm standing in the doorway by the fireplace just watching you work." He looked at the table, embarrassed, and Bella realized he was talking about her. He looked fearful, like he was afraid of her reproach. Bella said nothing, and he continued, "almost every time I sleep, I still dream about your house...and you…"

Bella was silent for a long time, "So has it been you walking around my house all my life, and not a ghost...like a...an...out of body experience or something?"

He laughed, "I don't know! I've only been dreaming these things, I haven't really been there, have I?"

Bella considered what seemed to be an impossible situation, "remember when I told you that I had been seeing a ghost standing in that same doorway watching me? He was dressed all in blue with a blue baseball cap, just like your work uniform."

He nodded, "I remember that now. So what about that picture?"

Bella was confused for a second, "what picture?"

"The one with those two people who look like us that you showed me that first day."

She sighed, laughing slightly, "when I first saw you, I thought I was seeing a ghost…literally!"

Edward was frowning now, contemplating something very seriously, Bella could tell, "Okay, let's straighten all this out, I somehow knew about your house before I saw it. I had never met you, but somehow I saw you and knew all about you. When you saw me, you felt like you knew me. And we look like those people in that picture. Do you think there is such a thing as past lives?"

The restaurant had grown very quiet, and the last words seemed very loud to Bella, "are you telling me that you think we knew each other before we were born?" It sounded ridiculous now, with him saying it out loud, but what other explanation could there be?

Shaking his head, Edward replied, "I don't know. I'm just trying to think of anything that would make some sense here. I mean, I had only seen you twice, barely even spoken to you, but for some reason, on Thanksgiving, I just had to see you, nothing was going to stop me. How ridiculous is that? By the way, do you always kiss guys you barely know?" His eyes had taken on a mocking look and he grinned.

Bella blushed and looked down, "no, you're the only stranger I've ever kissed. But you kissed me first."

Edward chuckled, then consented, "yes, but you kissed back."

"At any rate, I've never considered you a stranger…"

Nodding, he said, "and that makes my point right there."

Bella thought about it seriously for a little while, noting that Edward was watching her as she thought. Past lives. Reincarnation. Is it possible?

"Who would know about this stuff? How would we find out if we really are these people, this Jake and Marie?"

Edward shrugged, "psychics? Therapists? I think I've heard of people remembering past lives during hypnosis, like if they're going back to their childhood to see why they act a certain way or have a certain phobia, they go back too far, and it ends up being a past life."

"Hmmm. I wonder if there are people who specialize in hypnotizing for past lives? And are they real doctors or what? I don't know if I'd want to go to a psychic. Especially one with neon signs in her window and skulls on the shelf and all that."

Edward laughed at her description, "I bet you could find someone online."

"Do they advertise in the yellow pages?" Bella giggled, and the two of them laughed for a long time at the absurdity of the thought.

Time flew as Edward and Bella talked and finished their drinks. Edward looked at his watch, "we've been here for over three hours, can you believe it?"

Bella shook her head, "three hours, really? I guess time flies when you're having fun, Edward," she told him. For one second, she remembered that in Gram's story, Marie had told Jake, 'the early bird catches the worm, Jake', and she got chills. She stood up, and threw a tip on the table, but Edward took the cash Bella had thrown on the table and pressed it back into her hand, "don't worry about it. I'll take care of it," with that he took their bill to the cash register. He saw Bella watching him as he walked back to her and he smiled. She had been able to talk coherently to him for several hours now, but still, the sight of his smile made her heart race.

"Ready?" He asked softly.

'Not at all,' she thought to herself, but to him, she said, "yes." Edward put his hand on her back again as he led her through the door.

The night was still peaceful, except for a slight breeze that was making trees sway ever so gently. The the sky even more full of stars. He walked close beside her as they walked back to the funeral home parking lot. Bella purposely swung her arms slightly and let the back of her hand rub his. It had the intended affect and he grasped her hand tightly.

Their vehicles were the only two vehicles in the parking lot.

Bella giggled a little, "what, no van?"

He laughed at her assumption and pushed the button on his key ring. The lights on a silver Volvo flashed. It was a sensible car, like Bella's. Likewise, Bella pressed the button on her key ring, unlocking her doors. Edward walked her to her car, and she wondered if he would kiss her again. She wanted him to. She turned to face him and found that he was standing quite close.

"Thank you," Bella told him sincerely, "for everything tonight…" she sensed that she didn't have to finish her thought. He would understand what she was referring to.

Edward was still holding her hand and with the other hand he caught the hair that was blowing across her cheek and pulled it back, behind her shoulder, "don't thank me. It was my pleasure. Do you think it would be okay, I mean, would you mind, could I call you sometime?"

Bella hesitated, not sure if this was the right thing to do. He had only been single for a few weeks after all, but she nodded, remembering how depressed she'd been over the last few weeks, not knowing if she would ever see him again. She recited her cell number for him, as he punched the numbers into his own phone.

Bella had her car door open by this time, and it was on the tip of her tongue to ask him to go home with her. She felt like she needed him near, her whole being begged to be close to him, and she could see the same desire burning underneath his casual appearance. Bella desperately wanted to kiss him, but instead, she kissed his smooth cheek. He kissed hers in return and stood back to shut her car door behind her. He had turned to go to his car when the sound of her window going down made him look back. He was smiling as he turned, and she grinned at him, "I think you need to grow this back,' she called as she rubbed her own chin. Edward's smile grew wider and he winked. Then he ducked into his own car and as Bella turned left out of the parking lot, he turned right. She watched his taillights in her rear view mirror until she couldn't see them any more, and she wondered if he was doing the same.

XXXXX

**So things are moving right along for our couple...**

**Please leave a review...I'm going through review withdrawls!**

**My rec today is for a fic I just read...it was amazing! "This is Who I am" by Pattyrose. Check it out on my fav list!**

**Also, if you like Professorward and Rockella, check out my one shot, "Drive Me Wild". **


	5. Chapter 5

**So, this chapter isn't one of my favorites. It's kind of just filler, but important filler...**

**I own an awesome iphone that my kids love to play Angry Birds and Zombie Farm on. SM owns Twilight and all associated characters.**

XXXXXXXX

The next morning, Bella awoke with a smile on her face. There had been no footsteps the night before and no strange dreams. The previous night had been like a dream, though. Did she really spend the evening with Edward, she wondered? Then she remembered what had to happen today, and the smile disappeared. It would be a difficult afternoon, burying Grandma, and Edward probably had to work. He wouldn't be here again to hold her as she cried. Forcing herself out of bed, Bella stumbled to the shower, touching Grandma and Grandpa's picture lightly with her finger as she passed. She met up with most of her other family at eleven o'clock at Gram's house. Rose assaulted her as soon as she walked in.

Rose grabbed her arm and pulled her into the hallway that led to Grandma's bedroom, "so what happened last night? Tell me everything!"

Bella teased her a little bit, "I don't know what you're talking about."

She gave Bella a dirty look, "did he kiss you again?"

Sighing, Bella gave her the details, "we sat at the bar for almost three hours and talked. Then he kissed my cheek and I came home. Alone." She added the last part for Rose's benefit.

Although disappointed, Rose seemed to relax a little bit and they rejoined the family. Bella's father hugged her, and she could feel that lump in her throat threatening to overtake her again.

"Is your friend coming to the funeral?" Sue asked.

Bella shook her head, "no. I think he has to work." At that moment, her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number on the caller ID and she answered it, eagerly.

"Hello?'

Instantly, Bella recognized the voice, "Bella? This is Edward."

"Hey. How are you?" She could see her family out of the corner of her eye, hovering, so she casually strolled to the same hallway where Rose had just questioned her, as they spoke.

"I'm fine. I was wondering, are you going to be okay this afternoon? Do you want me to meet you at the funeral?"

Bella smiled widely at the phone. She had never met anyone more considerate, "don't you have to work?"

"I could take my lunch, and then…"

"No, that's okay. Don't rearrange your day for me. I'll be fine."

"You're sure?" He sounded concerned.

"Absolutely. Rose and I will have each other."

When he spoke again, his voice was full of doubt, "well, if you're sure. It would be no trouble…"

"I'm positive. I'll be okay."

He sighed deeply, "I know. I'm sorry, I just feel kind of… responsible for you or something. I don't know. I can't describe it. It's like I have to be there for you."

"Maybe a hundred years ago you did, but women are stronger, now," Bella joked.

He caught on and laughed with her.

She hung up the phone and immediately muted the ringer just in case he felt the need to call later and caught them in the middle of the funeral.

XXXXX

The funeral was horrible, the way all funerals are. Bella tried to keep the tears at bay by thinking about Edward, but then she began wondering if Gram would have liked him and approve of him for her, and that pushed her over the edge. She sat in her hard folding chair and sobbed into her own hands as the preacher droned on in a sleepy voice. Rose was sitting next to her and she felt her cousin's hand rubbing her back. Later on, at the grave site as the casket was lowered in, the situation was reversed and Bella rubbed Rose's back, comfortingly, as she cried.

With the funeral behind them, it felt like a weight had been lifted as the family gathered at Grandma Swan's house, now Rose's house. They ate and talked and laughed as they remembered funny or special times with Gram. This is how we should always remember the dead, Bella thought, as she stood looking out the west kitchen window. It had been a long day and she missed Edward already. She wanted to be near him. She wondered if he had called again, and flipped her phone open to see if she had missed any calls. A text waited for her. It was from Edward, "If you need me, just call and I'll be there as soon as I can."

Bella smiled and texted back, "Thank you. You're the best. Call me later." Instantly the phone rang.

"Hey," Bella said, "Aren't you supposed to be working?"

Laughing he said, "my last job just called and canceled at the last minute. I was actually on my way up. Are you at home?"

Bella's whole body grew warmer at his words, "we're all still at Gram's, but you can come up here. If you don't mind hanging out with my family."

"I'm almost there."

Her smile as she hung up the phone gave her away. Rose and Sue both casually came to stand by her, as if it were any other day.

"Who was that?" Sue asked, innocently.

"Just Edward." She tried to be nonchalant when she said his name. She failed.

"Look at her. She glows just saying his name!" Rose whispered.

Bella was about to respond, but at that moment saw a flash of white out the window and turned to see Edward's van pull in the driveway. Instead of the smart ass reply she was about to give, she simply said, "excuse me."

Bella hugged herself to keep warm as she waited outside for him to walk from the van to the house. Seeing his face, she suddenly felt lighter, more at peace. He approached her with a smile that suddenly disappeared when he put his hands on her upper arms.

"How are you," he asked, looking into her eyes and trying to read her expression.

Bella leaned forward, rather boldly, and put her arms around his middle, resting her forehead on his chin. He didn't seem to mind, since he moved his hands up her arms and around her shoulders, "I'm okay," she mumbled, "better now."

Bella felt his face lift in a smile, "me too," and she thought she felt him kiss her forehead, but she could not be sure.

After a moment, Bella began to realize that a light rain was drizzling down on them, so without a word she took his hand and pulled him behind herself into the house. The kitchen was empty, and he took the opportunity to tell her that although it might not be appropriate to say so, considering she was dressed for a funeral, that she looked nice.

"Thanks," Bella said, squeezing his hand so he would know that she didn't take offense to the timing of the compliment.

The members of her family who were still there all turned to look when she walked in with Edward. Rose and Sue both had a smug look on their faces, Charlie rolled his eyes, but other family members simply looked curious. They stood for a moment in the doorway of the living room where everyone was gathered and Bella introduced Edward to the family. Everyone was cordial, and they continued the conversation from before the interruption. Bella took this as a good sign and, still holding Edward's hand, she walked around the perimeter of the room to the old, iron radiator to sit. It was very warm and her preferred seat during the winter months. Edward sat very close to her and said nothing, just smiling or winking whenever she looked at him. No one noticed these little things except Rose, whom Bella knew without looking, was watching them like a hawk.

After several minutes, Bella remembered her manners and took Edward to the dining room to fix a plate. She knew that he probably hadn't eaten since lunch, and here it was after five. As they both piled their plates with food from Grams' friends at church, he leaned close and said quietly, without looking at her, "I've been thinking about you all day." Whatever weight that had been left on her shoulders suddenly lifted.

"Really?" She asked, setting her plate on the table before it slipped out of her hands.

Edward smiled and leaned forward to kiss her forehead again, "yes, really. I couldn't wait to get off work so I could come see you."

Bella smiled as she picked up her plate again. On any other day, this would have made the day perfect, but the funeral and burial were fresh in her mind, and although she wanted to be happy, she couldn't yet. As they were eating, Uncle Garrett and Aunt Kate left, along with Jasper, so Bella assumed it would not be considered rude of her to leave. She was ready to have the peace and quiet of her own little house, and she wanted Edward there with her.

Bella hugged her father and step-mother and watched with satisfaction as Edward shook hands with Charlie. On the way out the door, Charlie reminded her that the family was meeting there at the house the next day to go over the will, but upon seeing her hand in Edward's he must have reconsidered and told Bella that she didn't need to be there, if she didn't want to.

Edward followed Bella's truck in his van and waited quietly as she unlocked her front door. Throwing her purse and car keys on the counter, she sighed.

"Have a seat," she said to Edward, "Can I get you a drink or anything?"

"No, I'm fine," he assured her as he sat on her couch. More than anything Bella wanted to go sit by him, but first she had to change. These dress up clothes were driving her insane.

He waited patiently as she changed her clothes, then patted the cushion next to him as she entered the living room. She sat, gladly, and turned slightly so that she could face him. He turned towards her and took her hands in his.

"You look tired," he told her, lightly rubbing one fingertip under her eye.

"I am," his touch was giving her goose bumps.

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem quiet. Or is it just from the funeral?"

"Yes. I think that's probably it." As Bella spoke, he let go of her hands and put one arm around her, pulling her back against him. With the other hand he rubbed trails up and down her arm. The goose bumps intensified.

He kissed the top of her head, "I can't stay too long Bell, even though I'd like to. Victoria has been calling me, and I need to go talk to her, tonight. She needs to understand that it's over for good this time. But I've waited this long for you. I can wait another day."

Bella laughed, "a hundred years, right? I can wait too," she was still concerned though, and she sat up to turn around and look at him, "are you sure this is what you want? I mean, you've been with Victoria for a long time, you must have some feelings for her."

Edward touched the tip of her chin, "I knew as soon as I saw you where I belonged. It's like once I saw you, every feeling for any other person I ever had was rendered invalid. I _have _to be with you. It's the only way I can be happy. And I tried not to feel that way."

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked, just to be sure she heard him right.

"Tomorrow," he said the word strongly, reverently.

Satisfied, Bella leaned against him again and sighed, _almost _completely happy. They sat in silence for the better part of an hour. Bella didn't feel the need to talk. The silences weren't awkward any more.

Just before six-thirty, Edward sighed. Bella glared at the clock, willing the hands to stop so that she wouldn't have to give him up. She startled herself with the thought that this is what Marie must have felt like every night for five years as Jake walked home for the evening. Bella thanked her lucky stars that she wouldn't have to wait for five years. She walked Edward to the door, where for the fist time in over two months, he kissed her again. This wasn't the desperate, what-if-I-never-see-you-again- kiss of Thanksgiving. This kiss was more of a promise. It started slowly, and Bella felt the heat starting in her stomach and radiating out to every part of her body. As the heat built and grew in her body, so the kiss grew with intensity. Edward had one hand twisted in her hair, holding the back of her neck and his other hand was grasping her around the waist. Bella held tightly to his shoulders, wishing she could keep him here like this, that he didn't have to go. Eventually though, he pulled his face from hers, and pulled her close, into a hug.

"I'll call you tomorrow," he said, "I work till noon, but my dad has an appointment that I need to take him to."

"Call me after that?"

Bella felt him laugh quietly, "I'll call you before that, but I'll come see you after."

She squeezed him tightly one more time, then let him go, "okay. Don't take too long."

He kissed her once more, lightly, quickly, then he was gone. Bella couldn't keep the smile off her face. She looked in the refrigerator, smiling. She didn't see anything she wanted to eat, so she sat on the couch, smiling. She attempted to watch television, to stay busy. Bella knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate, but she turned on the news and tried to pay attention to the weather and the sports report.

After the news, she watched 'Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy' as a tribute to her grandmother. These were her favorite after dinner shows for over 30 years. Bella had trouble answering the questions out loud, because the lump in her throat had returned.

At about eight o'clock she was wondering if it was late enough for bed when she heard the text alert on her phone. She flew across the room to check it. It was from Edward, of course. It said, "Hi. Miss you. Can't wait to see you tomorrow."

Bella texted back, "miss you too. I'm going to bed soon so I won't have to miss you all night long." As she was pressing send, something about those words seemed familiar to her, as if she'd said them before. Shaking her head and trying to remember where she'd heard those words, she went to change into her sweats for bed. As she was changing, she caught sight of "Agnes Grey" on her bedside table, and realized that she'd never finished the book. She lay down and began to read, but was out before she'd finished the chapter.

Bella's dream that night was very vivid, very realistic. She dreamed she was walking down a long flight of stairs, almost like the stairs to a castle tower. The walls around her were made of a gray stone. About three quarters of the way down the stairs, Bella stopped in front of a wooden door. The door was rounded at the top and had a black ceramic handle. She turned the handle and stepped through. As she stepped, she felt a brushing against her legs, and looking down, she saw that she was wearing a long skirt that brushed against the floor. The air felt cool, like early morning, and she noticed she was holding something around her shoulders. Bella instinctively pulled it tighter around herself and realized it was a quilt from her bed.

Bella looked around and took in her surroundings. She was on the front porch at Gram's house. There was a grouping of chairs that she had never seen before on the porch, and she walked over to one in particular and sat down. Her heartbeat sped when she realized that she could hear Jake whistling in the distance. She could see him come around the corner, walking with James and Robert. As soon he caught site of her, he waved and broke into a sprint, smiling hugely. Bella heard a voice from somewhere far away telling her that this wasn't Jake, this was Edward, but she argued with certainty that this was definitely Jake.

As Jake approached the porch railing, Bella reached her hand out for him. He took it in his own, and kissed the back of it, "morning, sweet Marie, how did you sleep?"

"Fine. I went to bed early so I wouldn't have to miss you all night. Did you sleep well?"

"As well as I could without you," he put her hand on his face, and the stubble was rough under her palm. She rubbed her thumb on his cheekbone, but he never let go of the rest of her hand. They smiled at each other, glad to have another day to see each other.

James and Robert were just walking past them now, "come on, Jake. Work to do," James reminded him. Jake didn't need the reminder. He could outwork the two of them put together.

Jake made a face at James's back, then turned again to smile at Bella, "See you at dinner," he told her, then kissed her palm, "love you."

"Love you too," Bella leaned over the railing and kissed his cheek. He raised his hand and brushed her cheek. Then he continued on, whistling as he went, to the barn. She continued to sit on the porch. The air was crisp and cool, but not cold. Bella breathed in deeply, the scent of the early morning was sweet and invigorating. A few birds were singing in the trees. She listened to their tune, then whistled it back to them. They sang back and forth for a bit. Then she heard sounds coming from inside the house, and realized she'd better go in and help. Bella opened the door, expecting to see the front parlor, however, she was once again on the middle of the staircase in the castle tower. She ascended the staircase and opened a glass door with a brass door handle. As soon as she stepped through, she woke up.

Bella's eyes flew open and she was in her own room in her own little house. For a second, she looked around, confused as to what she was doing here, but immediately, the events of the day before came back to her. Bella was torn as to what she should feel. Already, she missed Grandma horribly, and just the thought of her brought tears to Bella's eyes, but on the other hand, the knowledge that she was going to see Edward today made her overwhelmingly happy. Her head was beginning to ache from the wide disparity of her feelings. As she shampooed her hair in the shower, she tried to get control of her feelings. She would not get too excited about Edward. A thousand things could happen today that could ruin her chances at happiness with him. Bella told herself this, but doing it was another matter.

Bella stepped out of the bathroom as she combed her wet hair, wrapped in a towel, and looked at Grandma's picture, "Gram," Bella said to her, "I wish you could have gotten to know Edward. He's so kind and good. And I feel like I've known him forever, like I'm supposed to be with him. I think you would have liked him." A warm feeling spread through out her body. It was different from the warm feelings she got inside when Edward kissed her. She felt approval, and for a second, she thought that maybe Grandma was giving Edward her approval.

She didn't want to be alone today, so Bella thought she would go to the reading of Grams' will. She knew her father wanted her to be there. As she was putting on her boots and preparing to walk to the big house, her cell phone rang. She knew without looking who it was, and was smiling as she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, guess what I'm doing." Edward sounded happy, lighter than air.

"What? Do you have me on speakerphone? Turn that off!"

"Driving to my first call," and he laughed. He didn't turn the speakerphone off, "what are you going to do today?"

"I was just getting ready to go to Gram's. They're reading the will today. I didn't really want to go, but I think my dad wants me to be there."

"You're such a good daughter," he complimented.

"I know. Did you sleep well last night?"

Bella could hear the smile on his face as he spoke, "as well as I could with out you," he told her.

Bella got light headed and the room started to spin. Did he actually say that phrase? 'But I dreamed that just last night!' she thought. Bella bent over in the kitchen chair, and put her head between her knees, breathing deeply and evenly, "I think I dreamed you said that last night!" She tried to make her voice sound light.

"Maybe I said that when I was Jake," he made his voice sound mysterious.

Her moment of light-headedness passed, "do you really believe in all that?"

The van had been moving as they talked and now Bella could tell that he had turned the engine off and had picked up the phone, "I don't know, but it's kind of cool to think about isn't it?"

She thought for a second. What if Jake and Marie got a second chance for happiness? "Yes," she conceded, "it is."

"Okay, I just wanted to say 'hi'. I'm almost ready to go in now. Later on, after my dad's appointment at two, I'll call you again, okay?"

"Sounds good. Will you come up later?"

"Of course. You think I could go one day without seeing you?" He sounded so sincere.

"Well you went several weeks without seeing me, there for awhile," she reminded him.

"Ugh, don't remind me. It was the worst two months of my life. That's not going to happen again. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay," Bella smiled at his promise.

XXXX

Gram's house was busy…again. Not quite as busy as yesterday, though. Rose was there, of course with her parents and Jasper. To Bella's surprise, Alice was seated next to Jasper, holding tightly to his hand. Charlie and Sue were sitting across the dining room table from them. Not long after Bella walked in the door, the attorney got there, and they got down to business. She didn't expect it to take long. Most likely, Grandma would leave the estate, the land, house and the possessions in the house to her two sons. There wasn't any money or life insurance, but the land and house were worth quite a bit. So everyone was all surprised when the lawyer started out by saying that Grandma had contacted him last September about changing her will. Everyone exchanged glances. Bella knew Rose had the most to be worried about. What if something happened and she was forced to move out of the house? Bella had told her all along that she would be welcome to live with her, and that comforted her some.

Some small trinkets and antiques were left to certain family members, such as the chair and settee set that was left to Leah, Sue's daughter. She had always admired them. The roll top desk in the corner of the living room was a particular favorite of Jasper's and Gram took measures to be sure that went to the one who would appreciate it most. The lawyer then paused.

"This next part is written in Mrs. Swan's own handwriting," and he flipped a paper around so that his audience could see that it was.

"This land of my ancestors has always been special to me and I want to leave it to someone who loves it, who can appreciate it, and who has the means to take care of it. The rest of the estate that was not dispersed as above will hereby transfer to Isabella Swan, and she will distribute or keep as she sees fit."

There was silence in the entire room. 'All of this is mine' she thought? Everyone looked at her in silence, waiting for her first move and she looked back at each of their faces. They knew without a doubt that nothing would change. The house, everything in it and the land would stay as they are.

The lawyer cleared his throat. He had sensed the sudden shift in the atmosphere, "okay, that's it. Isabella, I'll need to see you to sign some papers at your earliest convenience. I have another appointment this afternoon, but maybe Monday, you can meet me at my office?"

Bella nodded, still partially in shock, "yes, that'll be fine. Should I call your office to make an appointment?"

"Yes," he replied and handed her a business card with his name and office number. As he left, family members milled around, talking about the revelation.

Bella could see Rose wanting to approach her, but could tell that she felt slightly nervous. Bella laughed to herself, thinking it was silly that Rose should be afraid of her.

Abruptly, Leah grabbed Bella's attention, "So what are you going to do now?" She asked.

"I'm not sure yet…" She started, but she was interrupted.

"I think you and Rose should switch houses, I mean, once you start a family, you're going to need more space. This one would be better for that, don't you think?"

Bella laughed nervously, "don't get ahead of yourself, Rose might be starting a family before I do," and Bella tried to tell her that she was going to keep things as they were for now, but she was off talking about something else before Bella had the chance.

Rose smiled timidly, "I'd just like to stay in my house, if it's all the same to you," Bella told her.

Rose looked relieved, "me too. Except that after awhile, I might move downstairs, I was thinking."

"That would make sense. Maybe next week sometime we can start going through all of Gram's stuff. We've got dressers and closets full of stuff that used to belong to her parents and probably stuff older than that. I'd like to donate all the clothes and everything."

Rose brightened, the fear of being evicted taken off her shoulders, "okay. I have to work all weekend, but we'll start next week." And then a thought occurred to her, "so what's going on with Edward? Are you guys like, together?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"Umm, I'm not really sure. I think so. He broke up with Victoria a few weeks ago," the look on Rose's face said 'I told you so'. Bella continued, not giving her a chance to actually say the words out loud, "she keeps calling him, so he went to talk to her last night, to try to get her to stop."

Kate, who had just walked up behind Rose heard the last part of Bella's statement. Her eyes widened, "is he moving up here, with you?"

Bella chuckled, "I think it's a little early for that, don't you? He's going to stay with his dad for awhile."

"That's good," Rose explained, "you wouldn't want to rush into anything."

Bella nodded, "I agree. Just take it slow."

Kate smiled, "but you're glowing! It's good to see you so happy."

"I've always been happy," she argued.

Kate shook her head, "that's true, but this is different. You look…complete."

"Ugh," Bella complained, "I never wanted to be one of those women who need a man to complete her. I can be perfectly content and complete on my own."

"Maybe that's not the right word. But you do look…I don't know…different."

Rose agreed, "there is something different about you. When you talk about him, you glow, like Mom said."

Bella smiled, "I'm happy, let's leave it at that."

Leah and Alice then began bringing leftovers from yesterday out of the fridge for lunch. As she made a sandwich and put a little fruit salad on her plate, Bella smiled, nostalgically, thinking that this would be a lunch that Grandma would have eaten. Bella excused herself just before three o'clock. She wanted to be home when Edward called, so she could have some privacy while she talked to him.

Three o'clock came and went. Bella starred at the clock. Three-ten, three-fifteen, three-thirty. As each minute on the clock passed, she began to grow more and more nervous. What if Victoria had laid on a guilt trip last night and Edward decided he couldn't hurt her? What if she claimed that she was pregnant again? Worse yet, what if she went crazy, hunted him down today and stabbed him with a kitchen knife? Bella's legs began to itch and her toes began to tap as she sat on the couch. She got up and paced around the little kitchen and living room, then sat in a kitchen chair. Her fingers tapping on the table annoyed herself. She was thinking about firing up her laptop and proof reading the beginning of her book when tires on gravel had her flying to the kitchen window. She stood up so fast, she knocked over her chair. She picked up the chair and hurried to open the door for Edward.

At first glance, Bella's heart sunk. His face was grim, and he was watching his feet as he walked. She could see his jaw moving as if he was grinding his teeth, a sure sign of stress. 'This is it,' Bella told herself, 'he's coming to tell me that he's staying with Victoria'. Tears stung her eyes. But then about half way across the yard, Edward looked up at her, and all signs of stress disappeared. If she'd had one second of doubt, it disappeared too. He smiled broadly, then, after hopping up all three of the front steps in one jump, he had her in his arms and was swinging her around in a circle. He sat her down and kissed her and Bella could feel the happiness, the elation, in his kiss. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back, no longer nervous or fearful. Without releasing Bella from his arms, he walked forward, backing her up into the house and kicked the door closed with his heel.

He kissed her once more, then said, "guess what?"

"What?" Bella asked, pushing his hat back and raking her fingers through his bronze hair.

"I don't have to leave at six o'clock tonight."

Bella could only smile, because the joy those words brought was too strong to allow for coherent speech and also because he his lips were on hers again, and she couldn't have said anything even if she'd wanted to.

He led her to the couch where they sat close together, her head on his shoulder and his arms around her. They kissed a little bit, talked even less, and just reveled in the knowledge that they were able to be together…forever, if that was what they wanted. It was almost seven o'clock when they realized they were hungry.

"I could make something," Bella offered, "or we could just order a pizza."

"How about pizza? I don't want to let you out of my arms long enough for you to make anything," she laughed breathlessly as he leaned in and nuzzled her neck. It tickled a little.

"Can you let me go long enough for me to go get my cell phone and order the pizza?"

He straightened up and dropped his arms, "oh, I suppose so. As long as you don't take too long."

Bella giggled as she stood up and grabbed her phone off the table, "okay, I'm back," she announced as she sat next to him again. He sat quietly with one arm around her and the other hand twisting a lock of her hair around his finger while she dialed the phone and ordered a pizza. Thirty to forty-five minutes, the woman on the other end of the line promised.

Bella and Edward talked while they ate, sitting at the kitchen table. "So, how'd it go last night?" Bella asked him around a bite of pizza. Although he was the one leaving, it was still a break up.

He swallowed his own bite, and responded, "not great, but not as bad as I thought. She was kind of expecting it."

Bella nodded, understanding, "how are you? Are you okay?"

Edward picked up her hand and kissed the back of it, "I'm great."

Bella wanted to be perfectly sure about this, so she asked, "you're sure? No second thoughts?"

He didn't seem bothered by her asking for validation, "I am absolutely positive. No second thoughts. Not one." If the sincerity hadn't been evident in his voice, the look in his eyes would have convinced her.

"And how was your day?" He asked after a pause.

Bella rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, "well I am now a land owner."

"What?" he looked confused.

"We all thought Gram was going to leave the land and the houses to her two sons. But apparently she changed her will last fall without telling anybody and she left everything to me. She said she wanted someone to have it who would love it and appreciate it, and who had the means to take care of it."

Edward's eyes grew impossibly wide, and he laughed, "no kidding? That's awesome. What are you going to do?"

"Well, for now, everything is going to stay the same. Next week, Rose and I are going to go through some of the closets and dressers throughout the house. They're filled with Grandma's stuff, and stuff from her mother. They never got rid of anything."

"So are you going to move up there or stay here?"

Bella looked around, admiring her little house, "I'm staying here, I think. I've always known that I belong here. My step-sister was trying to convince me to switch houses with Rose, but I don't think so."

Edward smiled, "good. I like this one too."

Unable to keep the smile off her face, Bella threw away her paper plate and got two sodas out of the fridge. They stayed at the table long after they were done eating, just drinking and talking.

Bella took a deep breath. It was time. She was no good at talking about relationship issues, "I think that before this goes any further, we need to talk about some things."

Edward blinked, "uh oh. That sounds serious."

"Well, I want you to know where I stand on some things before you decided if you really want to be with me."

He chuckled, "well, it's a little late for that."

Bella smiled at his response, "for example, someday, not any time soon, but someday, I want kids."

Edward nodded, "me too. Several. By the time we're done, we may _have_ to switch houses with Rose." Bella couldn't help but smile at the way he said 'by the time _we're_ done' and '_we_ may have to switch houses'. It meant that he was planning on having kids and spending the rest of his life with her…already.

"Good. Okay, This one's a little harder. I really think we need to…take it slow," she looked pointedly at his hand on her knee.

He raised an eyebrow, "how slow?"

Laughing, Bella explained, "okay, every relationship I've had has started out with sex. And none of them worked out. This one is too important to me to take chances with…"

Edward looked into her eyes, moving his hand from her knee to place it under his chin, "it's important to me too," he agreed, "we'll wait till we're ready."

Bella hurried to make herself completely understood, "I'm not saying I wouldn't want you in that way, because…wow…" She let her eyes rove over him, from his head to his feet, and liked what she saw. "But you know what I mean, right?"

His eyes were running up and down her, too, and when he met her stare again, he replied, "yeah, I know exactly what you mean." Then he leaned across the table and kissed her intensely, "is that okay?" He asked when they were both breathless.

"Yeah, that is definitely okay," she laughed.

They spent the happiest evening of their lives just sitting on Bella's couch. They were supposed to be watching TV, but they paid more attention to each other than to the TV. When Bella started to yawn, a disappointed look crossed Edward's face.

"Guess I better go and let you get some sleep. What time do you want me to come up tomorrow?"

That was the last thing Bella wanted to hear, "do you really have to leave? Can't you stay?"

"What about your taking it slow thing?"

"Just because you stay, doesn't mean anything has to happen," she told him, rolling her eyes. She snuggled in closer to his side, "I'm just not ready for you to leave yet."

"Good," he kissed the top of her head, for the millionth time that day, "I want to stay."

They fell asleep on the couch wrapped up together under a quilt from the back of the chair, with both of his arms around her, and her head on his chest. At about two in the morning, they moved in to the bedroom. Bella realized quickly that if he was going to stay here very often, he would have to sleep in the spare room in order to honor her taking it slow policy. Being this close to him all the time did nothing for her resolve. But waking up in the morning to his kisses was definitely worth it. Edward had the day off, and Bella could do her job whenever she felt like it, so they lounged around the house all day that Saturday. Bella couldn't remember the last time she stayed in bed until ten o'clock. She sat at the kitchen table while Edward made her breakfast.

As they were eating, he looked her up and down, and asked, "so you want to go to my house tomorrow and meet my dad?"

"Sure," Bella responded happily, "after church?"

He wrinkled his nose, "do I have to? My parents used to drag me to church when I was a kid, and it was so boring."

"I should make an appearance and thank all of Gram's friends for their support. Please?" Bella begged, "please, please? It's really important to me," Bella gave him the best puppy dog eyes she could manage, and it only took him a minute to cave.

"Fine! I guess it won't be so bad sitting next to you, as long as I can hold your hand. Does your church allow hand holding?"

Bella rolled her eyes, "yes you can hold my hand," she kissed his cheek as she got up to clear the table, "thank you. It means a lot that you're willing to do that for me."

She was standing at the sink, drawing water to wash the dishes. He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist, just as she had wanted him to do over three months ago, "anything. I hope you know that."

She sighed, content, "ditto."

As Bella washed and Edward dried, they talked about their plans for the day. Before they did anything else, Bella had to take a shower. He was flipping channels on the television when she got out of the shower. While he took his, Bella used the opportunity to text Rose. "What are you doing today?"

She replied, "I have to work later. I see his car hasn't left all night…"

Bella answered her, "don't jump to conclusions. I'll tell you later."

As soon as Edward got out of the shower, she asked him, "how about going with me to Gram's house. Rose has to work, but I wanted to walk around and kind of take an inventory of everything that needs to be done."

He shrugged, "sure," he said, and Bella got the feeling that he'd be up for anything that she suggested.

The day was cloudy, but not too cold, so they decided to walk. As they crossed the road and started up the little hill, Edward said, "huh."

Bella looked at him curiously, "What?"

"I just got the strongest feeling of déjà vu."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I could have sworn I've walked this stretch of road, towards that house, before."

"Maybe in your dream," she suggested.

"I don't think so. In all my dreams, I'm at your house. Hmm," he said again.

They were wearing gloves, but still holding hands, and Bella didn't know how any day could get any better. Rose drove past, late for work, as usual, and they waved. Bella knew Rose would be assaulting her again, the first chance she got, maybe this week when Edward was at work.

The house was quiet when Edward and Bella unlocked the door and Edward followed her into the one of Grandma's spare rooms. There were three bedrooms downstairs and three bedrooms upstairs. It was a large house, and just two people had lived there. Bella wondered if Rose would ask Jasper or maybe Alice to move in there with her. She didn't think Rose would like being there alone. Bella decided to start with her great-grandmother's old room. She had never known her great-grandmother, and the memories wouldn't be as fresh as if she started in Grandma's.

"Wow, big house," Edward commented as Bella opened the top drawer to one of the dressers. In that drawer, she found several diaries, filled from cover to cover with her great-grandmother's slanted handwriting. She sat them on the bed and Edward picked one up.

He read, _"Kate and little Jasper came over today. He's really getting big. The weather has been good this week. The men got almost all the hay in. They only need another day of good weather, but it's supposed to rain tomorrow."_

Edward flipped the page and continued to read silently as Bella rummaged through the drawers, taking out all of the clothes and stacking them neatly in the empty boxes she had brought with her.

"Every entry is almost the same," Edward told her, "just stuff about the weather, about family, what she's going to make for supper," he read for another minute, "are you going to keep these, or just throw them away?"

"I think I'm going to keep them. I'd like to read through them. You never know, I might uncover a family scandal. And some day it'll be good to show my kids what a day in the twentieth century was like."

Edward laughed, but his laugh cut off as he read a page about three quarters of the way through the book he was looking at, "wow, listen to this, 'today mother passed away. March 13, 1978.'" It seemed like he shivered a little, "that was so unexpected, it was kind of creepy."

"Let me see that," Bella moved from kneeling on the floor to sitting next to Edward on the bed, "that's my grandmother's writing. I'll try to remember to keep this one on the bottom of the stack, since it's last."

After cleaning out the two dressers in that room, Bella decided that was enough for one day. She felt bad doing this without Rose. She didn't think Rose would want to keep anything in particular, but Bella felt it was better to wait for her, just in case. Bella left the boxes on the floor by the bed. She would email everyone later and tell them that if they wanted any clothes, they better get them, and if not, she was going to take them to Goodwill.

Edward and Bella locked the back door, the one they had entered through, from the inside, and went out the front door. They lingered on the porch for a few minutes. Bella sat in one of the chairs and Edward leaned against the porch railing.

Bella shuddered, "okay, now it's my turn for the déjà vu."

"We'll I'm sure you've sat on this porch before, right?"

She chuckled, "yes, but not with you. Do me a favor and walk down on the lawn and stand right in front of the railing, across from me."

Edward did as she asked. She reached her hand out to him, and he took it in his and kissed it. The feeling that this had happened before was so strong, Bella nearly gasped out loud.

Edward must have seen something that worried him on her face, "what's wrong?' he asked in a whisper.

She shook her head, "I've dreamed this before, just a few nights ago. I dreamed that I was Marie and I was sitting here on this porch. I was dressed in old clothes and everything. Suddenly I heard whistling, and I looked down the road there," Bella pointed in the direction of her house, "and I saw you walking into the yard, except it wasn't you, you were Jake. You came up here, took my hand, kissed it, we talked for a second, then you walked out to the barn and I just sat here." She glanced over her shoulder, almost expecting to see a barn behind the house. There was nothing there but a row of pine trees that separated her house from a new subdivision that was being built.

Edward raised his eyebrows at her, "that's weird. Wait, who kissed your hand, was it me or this Jake guy?" He teased.

Laughing, she told him, "in the dream, you _were_ Jake, so it was you," as she spoke, she put her hand on the side of his face. His five o'clock shadow was growing in nicely, and she rubbed the side of his face. She then leaned forward, over the railing to kiss his smiling lips.

"Let's go home," he said, and the way he said those words made her heart pound. She could hear it in her ears.

As they walked down the front lawn, with Edward's arm across her shoulders, he said, "I need to run to my dad's and get some clothes since you're making me go to church tomorrow," he pretended to glare at her.

"Okay," Bella said, "I'll get an early supper started. Do you think you'll be gone long?"

"I will be as fast as I possibly can be." They had reached her house by then, and instead of going inside with Bella, Edward pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his car. He then pulled her close and kissed her, another long slow kiss. She had been eager to get inside, but now she wasn't the least bit cold.

He used the back of his fingers and brushed the side of her face, "I'll be back soon."

Bella couldn't speak…again, as he got in his car and drove away. He seemed to have that affect on her. She smiled as she searched the house for something to make for supper. If there was going to be another person here for meals, she realized, she was going to have to start grocery shopping more often. No more cereal for dinner. Bella managed to find a package of chicken that she threw into the microwave to defrost. Luckily she had some barbeque sauce in the fridge to bake with the chicken.

Bella had just finished peeling potatoes for mashed potatoes and was whistling when Edward knocked on the door. She hadn't heard his car this time.

"Come in," Bella yelled, since her head was in the oven, checking on the chicken. She straightened up and looked at him as he came in the door carrying a black leather satchel, "you don't have to knock anymore, silly," she told him.

"Just making sure," he smiled, and put his hand on the back of her head to pull her in for a kiss, " you should have gone with me, I missed you."

Bella smiled, smugly, "I missed you too."

He sniffed at the air, "smells good in here, what are you making?"

"Barbequed chicken, mashed potatoes, and peas."

Edward was sitting in one of the kitchen chairs with his legs stretched out in front of him, "Oh Lord," he murmured, "she can cook! I'm gonna have to keep you."

Bella laughed, "I'm counting on it," then she changed the subject, "did you tell your dad you're bringing me over to meet him tomorrow?"

This time it was his turn to laugh, "yes. And he said I better not mess this one up because you're making me going to church."

"I agree, you better not mess this one up," she told him quietly and as she spoke, she straddled his outstretched legs, sitting on his lap facing him. His arms wound around her waist as she tilted her face down to kiss him. There was no hesitation as they opened their mouth to each other, tongues tangling. Bella's fingers moved to Edward's hair, scraped his scalp and lightly tugged at the roots. The resulting moan made her hips involuntarily buck forward to his. The feel of her heat coming into contact with his clothed erection made Edward clutch at the bare skin under the back of her t-shirt.

The oven timer distracted them.

"This take it slow thing is gonna kill me," Edward complained.

"Good things come to those who wait," he rolled his eyes, so Bella gave him another one, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?"

XXXXX

Edward didn't mind church as much as he thought he would, even though he and Bella were bombarded by all the old ladies asking Bella who her friend was. He calmly and patiently smiled and shook hands every time he was introduced. Having him there kind of took the pressure off of Bella, however. If it hadn't been for him, she would have heard nothing but condolences for her loss. Bella and her grandmother were regulars at church. Just the two of them. And everyone there knew how close they were.

Gram's closest friend rushed up to console her, however, as soon as she saw her. Ellen hugged Bella's shoulders, fiercely, "I'm so sorry about your Grandma!" She told Bella, "she was such a sweet, wonderful woman."

Bella smiled, "she was, thank you."

Ellen then took Bella's hand gently, "I know how close you were."

Bella's throat was beginning to feel tight, and she could feel the tears threatening, so she redirected the conversation, "have you met my friend, Edward?"

Ellen and the other women crowed over him and embarrassed him plenty before they moved on to their seats.

"Sorry about that," Bella whispered as the music started.

He leaned in and whispered back, "that's okay. I actually didn't mind." Bella turned to look at him and he flashed her a beautiful smile. She stared for a second, then had to look away before she started having improper thoughts at church. Bella said nothing, just put her hand in his. She felt him laugh beside her, and she knew he was remembering their conversation about hand holding from the previous day.

Bella and Edward drove directly from church to his dad's house, only fifteen minutes away. He held her hand while he drove, resting them on his knee. "I have to warn you," he said, sounding amused, "Esme will probably be there."

Bella furrowed her eyebrows, "who's Esme?"

"She's a lady who lives two houses down from my dad. She lost her husband a couple of years ago, and they keep each other company. I don't really think it's anything more than friendship yet, but they support each other during hard times like holidays, anniversaries, you know."

Bella nodded, "it's nice they have each other for the support. Why did you have to warn me?"

"Esme can be…" he paused, "overzealous. She gets excited about things easily. Dad said she didn't care for Victoria because she said Victoria wasn't very friendly, and she's _very_ excited to meet you."

She snickered, "okay, I'll make sure to be as friendly as possible."

Edward just threw her a look that said, "good luck," but he said, "you look nervous."

"A little," Bella confessed, "you'd think something like this wouldn't bother me, but it still does. I feel like a teenager meeting her boyfriend's parents for the first time."

Edward snickered

The house was small. Maybe a little bigger than Bella's, and situated in a nice little neighborhood. The kind you seen in movies about the 1950's, with kids riding their bikes and neighbors talking over the backyard hedges. A man in his late fifties opened the front door as they were walking up the walk, hand in hand. He was clean shaven, but other than that, he could have been an older version of Edward except for the graying of his blond hair near the temples. He was slightly shorter than Edward, Bella noticed when they walked in the house, but built roughly the same, strong, like they were used to hard work.

"Bella!" he enthused, "it's great to meet you! Come on in and have a seat. Please, make yourself at home!"

Bella smiled, surprised by his excitement, "thank you, it's good to meet you too."

A tiny, busy looking woman came from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She looked so natural doing this, that if Bella hadn't known any thing about the family, she would have assumed the woman was Edward's mother.

She smiled politely and held her hand out to me, "I'm Esme, Carlisle's neighbor. We've heard a lot about you."

Bella gave Esme her most sincere smile and told her warmly, "it's nice to meet you. I love your pin," she added, admiring a small butterfly she had pinned to her sweater, "is it antique?"

Her eyes brightened and her hand came up to touch the butterfly, "why yes. It belonged to my mother. How sweet of you to notice!" She threw a glance at Edward that was easy to read. Probably the same message his father gave him yesterday, 'don't mess this one up'. Edward squeezed Bella's hand.

There was no chance for an awkward silence because they were immediately ushered in to the living room where Edward and Bella sat on the love seat, and Carlisle and Esme sat in matching recliners to their left. In front of all the furniture was a TV, and a football game was coming on.

Both men were immediately taken with the game, although they managed to converse while they watched. "Oh, the playoffs," Bella liked to watch football with her father occasionally.

Carlisle looked at her with wide, incredulous eyes. He threw his hands up in the air, letting them flop into his lap, "she knows football too?"

Edward had his arm over the back of the love seat, and he spoke, pulling Bella's hair behind her shoulder with the hand that was behind her, "and she makes a mean barbequed chicken," he added with a chuckle.

Carlisle shook his head, and turned to Esme, "I already like her better than that other, what's her name?"

Edward shot him a warning look, and with out speaking a word, got the message across to his father. Instead of continuing, Carlisle studied Bella and Edward for a moment, then asked, "so, when's the big day?"

Bella looked at him, surprised, but Edward was unruffled. He still sat with his arm on the back of the loveseat, playing with the hair that lay across her shoulder. He shrugged, "as soon as she'll have me."

He glanced at Bella, to see her reaction, but by the time he did, she had pulled herself together and was as nonchalant as he was. She winked at him and smiled.

It all seemed so natural, sitting here talking to these people, that she wondered what she had been nervous about. Bella told Edward so as they drove back to her house.

He seemed content, "they like you. When I went to the kitchen to get us those bottles of water, Esme was just gushing about how sweet, and nice, and pretty you are. And you met my dad's criteria easily."

"Which is?"

"You know football, you can cook, and you make me happy," he ticked off on his fingers.

Bella's house smelled mouthwatering due to the roast she had put in the slow cooker that morning, before they left for church. Before they were even all the way through the door, Edward was asking how long before it would be ready.

Bella lifted the lid of the slow cooker, which intensified the delicious aroma, and poked the roast with a fork, "maybe an hour?"

He nodded, satisfied, and went to look at Bella's shelf of CD's and DVD's that was situated next to her television. She started peeling potatoes. When she heard Edward chuckle, she glanced at him over her shoulder and saw him holding up one of her CD's.

"The Spinners?" He asked, mockingly.

Bella went back to peeling potatoes, "Hey, leave my CD's alone. Me and my dad used to listen to The Spinners all the time. Whenever he had to watch me, he'd bring out all his forty-fives and those were my favorites."

Edward didn't answer. Instead she heard the hum of the CD player power up, "numbers fifteen and sixteen are my favorites," she told him, just in case he decided to pop that one in. Bella smiled as she heard the familiar introduction to "Cupid" begin. That music always brought back images of herself and her father standing by a record player, stacks of records in their hands. She hadn't been able to read the song titles yet, but she was able to recognize the color of the paper on the middle of the record. When the singing started, Bella was astonished to hear Edward singing along. She turned and starred at him in disbelief.

"What?" He asked, "I have a dad, too."

Bella couldn't take her eyes off him as he ran to where she stood and took the paring knife out of her hand. He then put his left hand on her waist, and grabbed hold of her left hand.

"I can't dance very well," Bella warned him.

He looked mischievous as he raised his eyebrows and grinned, "neither can I," he twirled Bella under his arm, and they were dancing. She laughed, unable to believe that they were seriously dancing around her kitchen. They both sang along as he danced them in clumsy circles around the kitchen table. The music changed slightly, to start the second part of the song and Edward moved Bella's hand to his shoulder and put both of his on her waist. He leaned in closely and their dancing didn't match the tempo of the song. He hummed along until they got to the words, "then you'll see, I can't live without you" which he sang softly into Bella's ear. Her breath caught in her throat. She tightened her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to. Hopefully so close that she would never let go.

The song ended too soon and Edward pulled away just enough to look at her. Smiling he said, "sorry. I couldn't help myself." Haven't I heard him say that before, Bella wondered? She thought so, but her mind was so befuddled, she couldn't think straight.

"Don't be sorry. I've never danced in my kitchen before."

He kissed her nose, "we'll have to do it often," he replied as he loosened his arms.

Peeling potatoes was the last thing she wanted to do after that. Edward turned the stereo down a little with the remote, and leaned up against the counter to talk to her while she worked. "I have to work tomorrow. Do you want me to stay here tonight, or should I go back to my dad's?"

Bella raised an eyebrow at him. Surely he knew better by now, "well, _I_ want you to stay here Edward, but you do whatever's easiest for you."

"Good, then I'll stay."

"I need to get back to work too. I've been neglecting it for too long."

"If you need to write, please just do it, Bell. Don't let me being here distract you."

She laughed, "yeah, right. Like that would be possible."

Bella could feel his eyes on her as she ran some water over the potatoes and put the pot on the stove. He leaned toward her and spoke as if he was telling her a secret, "is it too early to tell you that I love you?"

The question, seemingly out of nowhere, shocked her, and she stopped working to turn and smile at him, "I don't think it's too early. I'd like for you to say it, because...I love you too." Her confidence surprised her.

He put his arms around her waist and drew her to him tightly, "good, cause I do, you know," and she could hear the smile in his voice.

Bella smiled, too, "did you mean what you said earlier?"

"What did I say?"

"That you would marry me as soon as I'd have you?" Bella wondered what had made her ask that question? She was suddenly terrified of what she would hear.

"Yes. Of course. If I thought you'd say yes, I'd ask you today. We belong together," he said this as if it were painfully obvious.

Bella frowned, her head still on his shoulder, "but isn't that the way it always feels in the beginning?"

Edward pulled her back so he could look at her, "we both know this is different. Don't you think?"

As Edward gazed at Bella, she could feel my frown disappear, "it is different. I just don't want you to love me this much now, just to change your mind later."

Laughing, he pulled her close again, then something over her shoulder caught his attention. He held her away for a moment to stretch out to the table and pick up Bella's photo of Jake and Marie that was still on top of her laptop.

"Do you think Jake could have stopped loving Marie?"

Bella smiled. No, she decided, there was no chance of that.

XXXXX

Rose texted Bella that night as she and Edward were watching a movie. She didn't want to get up to get the phone, but she decided that she should, just in case it was important.

It read, "I see someone's car in your driveway". Bella could imagine the sing-song voice she would use when she said that.

Bella replied, "yes, get used to it".

"I'm so happy for you. I have to work tomorrow. Want to go through the house on Tuesday?"

"Yes. I need to get some writing done and go to the lawyer's tomorrow. Tuesday will be good."

"Will I be able to get you away from your hottie?"

"LOL. He has to work."

Bella felt Edward laugh silently next to her, "I'm a hottie, huh?"

She scoffed, "as if you didn't know that."

He was suddenly sincere, "really?"

"Umm, yeah. I can hardly keep my hands off of you. You haven't noticed?"

"I thought it was just me," he said as he put both arms around her and kissed her neck.

Bella's eyes rolled back slightly, "you better quit that."

"And if I don't?" He snickered.

"You'll make me break my promise to myself," she looked at him, trying to be serious and firm, "you don't want to do that do you?"

Edward sighed, "I guess not. Well, I do, but I don't want you to be mad at me," he ignored her protests however, and continued kissing her in an all too persuasive way.

XXXXX

**So...They're a couple now! Yay! But how long will they have together? Hmmm? Don't worry. I'm a firm believer in HEA! Also...about Bella's idea of taking it slow...um...yeah...that won't last too long. **

**This week's reccs: The Naughty Schoolgirl and Club Elite by Breath-of-twilight. Hot Hot Hot...that's all I have to say!**

**Please review...things will start moving quicker...I promise!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! Back again! So we get a glimpse into a past life in this chapter. While I have researched past lives a little bit, I'm not an expert, by any means.**

**I own a very unhealthy fanfiction obsession, but I do not own Twilight or the characters. Those are owned by Stephenie Meyer, the lucky wench!**

XXXXX

Monday morning came too soon. Edward was showered, dressed in the clothes he had worn to Bella's house on Friday night, and out the door by eight. He still had to drop his car off at his dad's house and pick up his van. That was good, it gave Bella an early start. She ran to the lawyer's office first thing. There wasn't much to it. She signed a few papers and was home by ten.

The computer was humming by the time Bella sat down with her coffee cup beside her. Smiling to herself, she looked around the house. No chills, no paranoia. 'Hmm', she thought, 'I rather liked being alone when I'm the only one in my house.' Could it be possible that Edward somehow traveled here in his dreams?

As she skimmed over the last couple of pages that she had written, she was quickly filled with inspiration, and the morning and afternoon flew by as she clicked away on the keyboard. Her fingers could hardly keep up with her mind as she typed away. Edward texted her once to tell her that he missed her, but other than that one interruption, she didn't stop. Not even to eat. By the time Edward came through the door, though, her wrists were beginning to hurt and her eyes were stinging from staring at the computer screen all day.

As he walked in, Bella looked up, confused, "what time is it?"

"Just after six, why?" As he spoke, he bent over to kiss her while she was still seated at the table.

"I'm sorry, I haven't started dinner. I've been writing all day. I haven't stopped once," Bella chuckled as she said this, and she got up and stretched.

Edward grabbed her while she had her hands in the air, and she fell against him, off-balance, "hmm, I like coming home to you."

"You'd like it more if I had dinner ready, wouldn't you? I had planned on it."

Edward laughed, "I don't need food if I have you, silly."

Bella rolled her eyes at his exaggeration. She grabbed last night's leftovers out of the refrigerator and warmed them in the microwave while Edward told her about the calls he had been on today. She had no idea what most of the terms he used were, and she nodded politely, but she knew he saw through her.

He paused for just a moment, "Victoria called me today…" he began.

Bella tried to be nonchalant, "really?"

"She wanted me to come over after work to talk."

"What did you say?" She was still nervous. She hoped he wasn't asking for permission.

"I said no, that we have nothing to talk about. Maybe if we had kids or something it would be different, but we're done, there is nothing to connect us,"

Bella relaxed a little, "I knew she wouldn't give you up so easily. I could have told you that the first time I saw her. I bet she's at home planning her strategy to get you back."

Edward laughed, "it sounds like you know her."

Bella shook my head, "no. I just know how I would be if I lost you."

"You'd scheme to get me back?" He looked amused.

"It depends on why you left. If you were a jerk, I wouldn't care," Bella shrugged.

The amused look vanished, "Bell, do you really think I could be a jerk to you?"

"I don't think so. It's just that I've known other guys who seemed great at first, but then they turned out to be not so great."

"That won't ever happen. I thought we agreed we were different, right?" As he spoke, he slowly went over to where Bella stood and bent over slightly so he could look into her eyes.

Smiling, she said, "right. I know you're not like that, it was just an example."

Edward shook his head, "how any guy could treat you bad is beyond me. How could they not see how great you are?" He kissed her cheek, her nose, her other cheek.

"Oh, I'm the best," she replied, dryly.

"You are," he insisted, tweaking her chin and giving her a not-so-quick-kiss.

As Bella's heart rate and breathing returned to normal, she got dinner out of the microwave and sat it on the table, "sorry about the leftovers," she apologized, "but I hate wasting food. I may have learned how to tell a story from my Grandma, but I learned how to save money from my dad. Never waste leftovers, and never turn the heat on unless it's absolutely necessary."

Edward didn't mind the leftovers, he dug in. "That's okay. I'm a big believer in saving money, myself," he didn't speak until he had swallowed. Good manners.

"Rose and I are going to go through some more of the dressers and closets up there at Gram…well at her house tomorrow." It was still difficult for Bella to not think of it as Grandma's house.

"Is she going to try to find a roommate or something? That house is awful big for one person. She could probably rent out the upstairs apartment and make some money," then he snickered.

"What?" Bella asked, curiously.

"Remember that guy in the suit that I was sitting next to at lunch that day?"

"On Christmas Eve?"

"He's looking for a new apartment. I know he'd love to live upstairs from her. He's been asking when I'm going to get them together," Edward rolled his eyes.

Bella narrowed hers, "what's he like? Is he an okay guy?"

Edward was instantly defensive, "Oh yeah, I like him a lot. But he's with another woman every week. I don't know if I'd recommend him for your cousin. Unless she's just looking for a good time."

Bella laughed, "I kind of feel like I have to look out for her."

"I know you do," Edward stopped eating and gazed at her for a moment.

"What?"

"This seems…right…don't you think?" he asked.

"What, you mean us just sitting here eating leftovers and talking about our plans for tomorrow?" He nodded, "it does," she agreed.

Then he asked a question that startled her, "do you think Jake and Marie ever did this?"

Bella thought for a moment, "probably. I had a dream like that, once, too."

Edward swallowed another bite, "you have a lot of dreams," he commented.

"I do, and they're always really vivid. Most of them don't make any sense, except for the ones about Jake and Marie. I wonder why that is…" she looked into space, wondering.

Before Bella could get too lost in her thoughts, she heard Edward snicker again. She looked at him curiously.

"Maybe they're not just dreams," he explained, "maybe they're memories." He made his voice low and mysterious.

Bella snorted, "do you really believe that?"

His face was all innocence, "don't you?"

She thought about it for a moment, "well…I don't know."

"I still think we can find someone to help us. After we eat, let's Google past lives and see what comes up."

Bella rolled her eyes and chuckled, "whatever you want, honey," she said, pacifying him.

As soon as the table was cleared, Edward pulled the laptop around to face him. Bella sat in the chair next to him and watched as he typed in , and then in the search engine box, he typed, 'past lives'. Edward clicked on the first item that popped up, supposedly you would be able to type in your birth date and it would tell you about your past life.

"Oh that is stupid!" Bella exclaimed as she got up and ran some water in the sink to wash the dishes, "does that mean every person who was born the same day as me was the same person?"

Edward wasn't as easily stymied. As Bella washed the dishes, she could hear the mouse from her computer clicking, or taps on the keyboard, occasionally. Once in awhile, she would hear him say "hmm," or "huh," if he saw something interesting. Bella didn't say anything, she just let him search.

By the time Bella finished the dishes and rejoined him at the table, Edward had a name, address, and phone number written on a piece of paper. She glanced at it, then at him with her eyebrows raised.

"She's a hypnotherapist. On her website, it says that she helps people deal with issues such as smoking, phobias, weight, and the such, and apparently her patients have had good luck using hypnosis. But on one random page of her website, it says that she does help people with past life regression…" he trailed off, waiting for Bella to reply.

"And?"

"And do you want to try it?" She could see that he was intrigued by the idea, but she was kind of nervous.

"I don't know…is it safe?"

He shrugged, "I think so," he turned the computer towards her and pointed at the top of the screen with the mouse, "it says that she's been practicing hypnosis for 20 years. That's almost as long as we've been alive."

Bella had to laugh at that.

"It can't hurt to call, right?" he asked, looking at her with his green eyes opened wide and an innocent little smile on his lips.

She caved. He could have his way so easily, "no, it can't hurt to call."

Bella was rewarded with a heartbreaking smile, "good, I'll call tomorrow." He got up and put the slip of paper on the counter, under his wallet, then changed the subject, "do you have any more writing to do, or do you want to do something else?" The suggestive look on his face made it clear exactly what else he wanted to do.

Laughing, Bella said, "well, we need to go to the store. I have no groceries in the house, in case you haven't noticed."

Edward rolled his eyes, "okay, okay. We'll go to the store, right after this," Bella was looking in the refrigerator, so she had no clue that he was about to ambush her. In one motion, he pulled her away from the fridge, shut the door and had her pushed up against it, so tightly, she could barely breathe. Every time he kissed her, it was like an electric current was running from him into her and this time was no different. His hands were behind her, grasping at the skin of her lower back, pulling her against him, his lips were pressed against hers with an urgency that made the muscles in her stomach tighten. One of his hands slowly traced from her back over her hip to the back of her thigh and he hiked her leg over his thigh, pushing into her. She gasped out loud.

As soon as he heard that gasp, he stopped and moved away, "take it slow, remember?" his face was mocking.

Bella groaned, "you are not nice."

Edward kissed her once more, a nice well-behaved kiss, and said, "yes I am. You love me and you know it."

Bella was breathing deeply, trying to regain control of myself, "yes I do. You're lucky you're cute, though."

He laughed, "come on, let's go to the store."

XXXXX

The grocery store was busy, of course. They wound our way through the throngs of shoppers, Edward pushing the cart, Bella carrying the list. She hadn't enjoyed the mundane task of shopping this much before. Edward made everything enjoyable. As they made their way up the soup aisle, a short, middle aged lady with long, jet black hair with gray roots caught Bella's attention. The woman was staring at her with what looked like fear in her eyes. As Bella picked out a can of her favorite clam chowder, the woman's eyes flickered back and forth between Edward and Bella. Bella glanced at her occasionally, but tried not to stare back. Her eyes never left them.

As they rounded the corner to the next aisle, Bella whispered to Edward, "did you see that woman staring at us?"

He nodded, "I wonder what her problem was."

They saw her again in the next aisle. Again, she stared fearfully. When they ran into her again in the paper towel aisle, she approached Bella, twitching nervously.

"You need to break the pattern!" The woman exclaimed.

"What?" Her words made no sense to Bella.

The woman looked anxious. Her hands came up and gripped Bella's upper arms, "you need to break the pattern!" She exclaimed again, "don't let it happen again!"

The woman's fear was contagious and her fingers were digging into Bella's arms, "what are you talking about? What pattern?"

Edward was beside Bella in a flash, prying the woman's fingers from Bella's arms, "let go!" He commanded, "you're hurting her!" People were beginning to stare.

The woman's horror struck eyes moved to Edward, "please, you must break the pattern," she whispered this time. It looked like tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes, "please. You won't be free until you do," she whispered again as she backed away.

Edward, with one hand on Bella's lower back and the other hand pulling the cart behind him, escorted Bella out of the aisle. She glanced over her shoulder to see the woman still staring at them forlornly. For some reason, she had terrified Bella. What was she talking about?

Edward had stopped and was rubbing Bella's upper arms, "are you okay?"

Bella drew in a ragged breath, "yeah. I'm fine. What was she talking about?"

Edward frowned and shook his head. He looked almost angry, "just some crazy old woman. Don't let her bother you."

Bella shook her head, "she seemed really upset about something. What did she mean, 'break the pattern?'

"Like I said, she's just a crazy old woman. Do your arms hurt?" He looked concerned.

Bella's arms were throbbing slightly as the blood was allowed to rush through the veins again, "no, I'm fine," Bella lied. "But what if she meant something by it? What if there was a message that she had to give us?"

Suddenly Edward's face was amused, "you're skeptical about us having past lives, but you think some nut job was here to deliver us a supernatural message?"

She realized he was right, and chuckled, "okay, I'm just being silly, I know."

Edward kissed her forehead as he slung an arm around her shoulders. This time, Bella pushed the cart, "are we almost done? I want to get you home, away from the psychos."

"I hope so," as Bella spoke, she glanced at the items in the shopping cart. It looked pretty full, so she pushed it towards the checkout lanes. Her eyes scanned the store as they waited in line, but she never saw the frightened woman again. Bella hoped the woman was just a figment of her imagination.

XXXXX

Rose was waiting for Bella at eight o'clock the next morning. As soon as Edward left for work, Bella donned her winter coat, gloves and boots, and made her way through the light snow to Rose's house. Over the weekend, Bella had dropped off several boxes, and they were ready to get three generations of clothes and personal items cleaned out of her house.

As soon as they got started, Rose began. Bella had wondered how long it was going to take her.

"Well? Talk to me! His car hasn't left your house since Friday night! What's going on?" Her light blue eyes sparkled and her voice was about an octave higher than its normal tone.

"If you've seen his car there all weekend, then you already know what's going on," Bella laughed.

"Yeah, but what about his girlfriend?"

"He left her a few weeks ago. It wasn't much of a relationship, apparently. The only reason he was still with her was because he was too nice to break her heart. But she called him yesterday and wanted him to go to her house to talk."

Rose looked up from the box that she had pulled from a closet, "did he go?"

Bella smiled smugly, "no. He said they have nothing to talk about."

Rose grinned, "seems like things are going pretty fast. He's practically moved in."

Bella shook her head at Rose's assumption, "just because he's been staying there, doesn't mean anything's going on. We're actually taking it slow."

Rose tossed her blond hair over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow, "why?" she demanded. "If I had _that_ staying in my house, 'slow' would be the last thing on my mind!"

Bella chuckled, "yeah. It's not easy," she mumbled. "Edward's friend, Paul, you know the one we saw at lunch that one day, was asking about you. He was the one in the suit."

"Really? He was pretty cute," Rose was off to new thoughts about a new person, and that took the pressure off of Bella, just as she'd planned.

After a little while of working silently, Bella asked her, "do you believe in past lives?"

Rose continued working, but Bella could see that her expression was thoughtful, "I believe that it's possible. Although I don't remember any past lives of my own," she snickered, then became serious, "why?"

"Edward's supposed to be calling some lady who can hypnotize you and make you remember your past lives. He thinks that we were Marie and Jake, I think."

"Really? I suppose it is possible. I mean, you both look like them."

"I don't know much about it, but I don't think that has anything to do with it, really. But we both feel like we've known each other forever. That first day that he came to fix my furnace, he recognized my house, even though he'd never been there. He knew exactly where the furnace was, and we both know that it's in kind of a weird spot. It's just a whole bunch of different things seem to be adding up and we can't make sense of them."

Rose thought about this for a long time with a frown on her face, "you know my friend, Vera?" she finally asked.

"Yeah."

"Her mom claims to be a psychic. Maybe she can give you a… a …reading or something."

Bella laughed, "are you serious? Vera seems so normal."

"Yeah, but her mom's a freak. She's got all these weird symbols and things hanging all over the house. She's seriously into it. You want me to call her for you?" She was serious, Bella could tell.

Smiling, she told Rose, "no, that's all right. We'll see what Edward's hypnotist turns up," Bella suddenly remembered the woman at the store, "speaking of freaks, you'll never guess what happened to me at the store last night." She related the story to Rose.

"What pattern?" Rose wondered out loud.

"I have no idea, but she was very passionate about it."

She chuckled, "you see all kinds in Forks."

Bella chuckled with her, "no kidding."

They had finished up in that room, and were moving on to the next when Rose looked at Bella out of the corner of her eye, "so you're happy?"

Bella smiled serenely, "extremely. I have never felt like this about anyone. I feel like I've been waiting for him my whole life, and now he's here," Bella was staring off into the distance by the end of her statement, overwhelmed with thoughts about Edward.

Rose sighed, "that is so romantic. When am I going to find _my_ Jake?"

"Keep your chin up, hon, he's out there. You'll probably find him when you least expect it."

That room took the longest to clean out, but they were diligent in their work. By the time they were through for the day, they had 9 large trash bags ready for Goodwill, three full of trash, and three empty bedrooms.

"Are you going to try to find a roommate or something? This house is huge," Bella asked, concerned.

"I already asked Jasper if he would want to move in upstairs. I think he's going to. No rent or anything."

"That's good. I'd hate to think about you here all by yourself. Are you working tomorrow?" They were carrying the bags out to Rose's car.

"No, I'm off till Thursday," she answered.

"Want to go through the kitchen cabinets tomorrow?"

"Sure. But I want to keep most of it. And I'll leave the dishes that are upstairs there for Jazz."

Bella nodded, "good idea," as they were loading the last bag in Rose's trunk, Bella looked at her watch. It was already five-thirty in the afternoon.

Rose caught on and smiled, "make sure you can get home so you can meet him at the door," she sang.

Bella pulled her gloves on as she was walking away, "I will," she sang back.

Bella managed to pull together a quick dinner, and it was on the stove when Edward walked in the door, twenty minutes later. Her heart stopped when she saw him. She hoped she would never stop being thrilled that Edward was coming home to her. After he dropped his car keys on the counter, he caught her up in a hug that almost broke her ribs.

"Did you have a good day?" he asked. But he gave her no time to answer. Instead he kissed her intently.

When she could breath again, she said, "we got all the downstairs bedrooms done. We cried all the way through Gram's, but at least it's finished."

Edward's eyes were full of concern as he brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers, "I don't want you to be sad. But I'm impressed that you guys got all that done today."

Bella reluctantly freed myself from his arms, and stirred the spaghetti on the stove, "I'm glad it's done. Rose's brother, Jasper is going to move in upstairs."

Edward nodded as he scooped a meatball from the sauce and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. He had a huge smile on his face while he chewed, but waited until he had swallowed to speak, "remember that night I came up here looking for my wrench and Rose tried to get me to stay for spaghetti? I _really_ wanted to stay. If you had asked me one more time, I probably would have said yes."

Bella laughed at the memory, "of course I remember. Rose said you probably didn't even lose your wrench, that you just used it as an excuse to see me again."

He looked sheepish, "yeah, she's right. I drove past three times before I got the nerve to stop. I'm surprised you didn't see me."

She shook her head while she was putting their dinner on the table, "you're silly, but I'm glad you did."

"I took Thursday morning off," he told Bella as he finished his plate, "that Dr. Volturi has an opening and said she wouldn't mind seeing us…" his voice trailed off and he looked at her nervously.

Bella didn't give him a hard time about it. She knew this was something that really interested him. Instead she shrugged, as if he had suggested going to the dentist, "okay. What time?"

His face brightened at the ease with which she consented, "the appointment is at nine. Her first sessions are usually a good couple of hours, at least."

XXXXX

Rain was sheeting against the window when she woke up on Thursday morning. Bella wasn't sure if they should attempt a trip to Port Angeles when it was freezing rain out, but Edward convinced her that he was a good driver. The temperature was just above freezing, anyway, so as of right now, it shouldn't be too slick out. He drove slowly, carefully, anyways, just so she wouldn't worry.

The rain had almost stopped when he parked the car in one of the many empty parking spaces of the medical office building. Apparently the weather had people canceling their appointments. Bella looked at the building before she got out and approved of what she saw. It was a three story building encircled by a convenient parking lot. Next to the front door was a plaque listing the names of the doctors who practiced in this building, most of them with a string of four or six letters after their name.

Edward saw her scrutinizing the building and winked, "no neon signs," he observed.

They dashed through the rain to the glass door, and Bella shook herself off a little as they walked into the inviting lobby. There was another list of names near the elevators that faced the lobby. They found their therapist's name and location, suite 301, boarded the elevator, and pushed the number three.

Dr. Jane Volutri's waiting room was an inviting, non-threatening square of a room, and Bella wondered what kind of people she treated here. According to her website, she was a licensed hypnotherapist, whatever that means.

Bella gave their names to the receptionist and was glad that no one else had entered the waiting room before they were called back to Dr. Volturi's office. She knew she shouldn't be embarrassed to be seeing a therapist, no matter the reason, but there was still a bit of a stigma attached to it. Dr. Volturi was in her office when they walked in. Instead of sitting behind her desk, she was seated in a comfortable looking recliner that was near the far wall. Lined up against the wall was a long, leather sofa. There was a small, round table in between the sofa and recliner.

"Bella, Edward, welcome. Have a seat," she gestured to the sofa. The way she said their names together made Bella smile. She seemed to have the ability to make people feel comfortable immediately. There was nothing intimidating in her looks or dress. Her hair was light blond and short. Small round glasses were perched atop her nose, and her cheeks lifted discernibly when she smiled.

Bella could feel Edward's excitement as he sat beside her. She was slightly surprised he wasn't jumping up and down in his seat. Bella squeezed his hand and he squeezed back.

Dr. Volturi commenced asking them lists of questions. Just routine questions, she had explained, to get to know their circumstances better. In the middle of questioning, however, she broke off in the middle of a sentence and smiled.

"How long have you two been together?" she asked warmly.

Edward laughed, "um…almost a week." Bella chuckled. It sounded so wrong, but it was true.

Dr. Volturi shook her head and looked confused, "a week, you say?"

They both nodded, "is there something wrong?" Bella asked.

"No, no. It just seems like you two are so _right_ together. Maybe that's not the right word, but in any case, I thought you were going to say something like several months or even years. I understand what you were talking about on the phone now, Edward."

He rubbed the side of Bella's hand with his thumb, "it's almost like she's always been where my life has been heading. I can't explain it," he looked at Bella as he said this and she looked back, unable to look away from his eyes.

Dr. Volturi smiled pleasantly, "okay. Let me start by telling you a little bit about past life hypnosis. Most people who benefit from hypnosis are people who have mysterious issues or patterns that they don't understand, such as phobias, fears, or attracting the same people and/or patterns over and over again. Karma plays a huge role in our past lives. Whatever you do in one life will be paid back in another. For example, if you steal something, even a pen from work, something of that value will be stolen from you in another life. If you kill someone in one life, you will be killed, sometimes by that person, sometimes not. Karma is what gives order to the universe. Does that make sense?" Edward and Bella both nodded, and she continued.

"I like for patients to book at least three sessions, sometimes more. The first session is usually harmless, usually just giving basic information. I say usually because sometimes an individual will see and feel a great deal of information about their past life in the very first session. This is somewhat rare, however. Now, some people are highly visual and their past life will open up in front of them as if they were watching a movie, or maybe even living it. Other people will remember through other senses or feelings, or they may just 'know'.

"Hypnosis is completely safe. You know that period between awake and asleep?" They both nodded again, "that's where you will be. So you will be aware of everything at all times. If something were to happen to me, and I couldn't finish the session, you would not be stuck in hypnosis, you would simply fall asleep or wake up. You will not experience any feelings that are too strong to bear. And you will in no way be capable of doing anything that goes against the grain of your belief system. Do you have any questions?"

It sounded safe, but Bella still had her qualms, "how many people have you hypnotized?"

"I have hypnotized thousands of people over the past twenty years."

"And they all remembered a past life?"

Dr. Volturi seemed to understand, "yes, all of them have had memories of some kind or another,"

"So a person just keeps living lives over and over forever?"

"There are different opinions about this. Some people believe that you keep on living until you learn all the lessons that you need to learn. Some people believe that you can stop having lives whenever you want. You simply have to decide not to come back anymore, then your soul stays in that place where souls go. That would be heaven or some people just call it 'the other side', or 'the light'," she paused and waited to see if Edward or Bella had any more questions. When neither of them asked, Dr. Volturi continued, "okay, who wants to go first?"

Bella had been skeptical in the beginning, but suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to find out more about herself. She was beginning to get caught up in how Dr. Volturi described the process. Quickly, before Edward could volunteer, Bella spoke up, "I'd like to go, if you don't mind," she added, looking at Edward.

He seemed surprised, but otherwise not disappointed. He smiled and agreed, "no. I don't mind at all."

"Good," Dr. Volturi replied. "Now Bella. I will need to know about your spiritual beliefs if you have any. This will help during the entering and exiting of your past lives."

"I'm a Christian," Bella replied.

Dr. Volturi nodded perfunctorily, "okay, Bella. We are going to begin with a relaxation exercise. I want you to get as comfortable as possible. Edward, it may help if you sit down here at this end of the sofa," she indicated to the opposite end from Bella and Edward complied. "All right. Now close your eyes," Bella did so, and she continued, "we are going to relax every muscle in your body. First, tighten and relax the muscles in your toes. Now the muscles in your feet. Good, tighten and relax the muscles in your calves, then your thighs."

In this way, they tightened and relaxed every muscle in Bella's body. Dr. Volturi spoke in a quiet, comforting monotone, and as Bella worked her way up to her face, she found herself so completely relaxed that she wanted to fall asleep. Dr. Volturi stopped speaking for a moment, letting her hover in the relaxed state just above sleep.

Finally she spoke again, "Bella?"

"Hmmm?" Bella murmured.

"I want you to picture a giant wheel with lots of spokes. It can be like a wheel on a ship, or on a bicycle, any kind as long as it has spokes. Can you see the wheel?"

"Yes. It looks like a wheel on a pirate ship," Bella's tongue felt thick as she tried to speak, and her voice came out sounding garbled to her. She wondered how it sounded to them.

"Good. Each of the spokes represents a lifetime. I want you to concentrate on one particular spoke and this one represents this lifetime. Do you see this spoke?"

"Yes."

"Now imagine that you are in that spoke. The very tip of the spoke is your death. The very beginning of the spoke is your birth. The hub of the wheel is God. Bella, do you see where you are right now within the spoke?"

"Yes."

"Now, I want you to walk backwards in the spoke to when you were fifteen and tell me about a significant event that happened."

In this relaxed state, Bella didn't even have to think about it. An event came to her immediately, "my mom got married and moved to Phoenix."

"How did you feel?'

"At first I was lonely, but after realizing how happy she was, I felt better."

"Good. Now think of a significant event that happened when you were eight."

Bella's throat felt tight and she was suddenly afraid. She didn't want to remember this, she had spent so many years trying to forget, "I don't like this age, can we move on?" Her voice suddenly sounded weak and small, like a child.

There was something off in Dr. Volturi's voice, but she continued, "you might need to get past this for complete healing."

Bella whimpered, "I don't like it when he touches me," she felt a tear drop onto her cheek.

"Who touches you, Bella?"

"My teacher."

"Bella, we will come back to this at another time, let's move to a significant event at age four."

In her stupor, she instantly felt her face relax out of that grimace and into a smile, "my daddy is picking out my clothes. We're going roller skating."

"Okay. Bella, I want you to think all the way back to your birth, can you do that?"

Bella allowed herself to drift down the spoke of the wheel, nearer to the hub, "I'm in a very, very bright room. A man is holding me. Ouch. It's so cold. Ohhh, that's better. Someone wrapped me in a blanket."

"Bella, I want you to move past you birth, into the hub of the wheel. Go to where God is."

Bella moved from her spoke into the hub with ease. There were muted purples and blues swirling around her like a mist. She felt so calm and relaxed, so loved and understood, she never wanted to leave. She described the scene.

"Is this heaven?" Bella asked, breathless.

"This is your heaven."

Bella stood for a moment in the swirling mist, feeling the love envelope her. The mist began to part and through the part she saw Grandma Swan walking towards her.

"Gram?" Bella squeaked out loud. She still looked something like the Gram that Bella had known, but more youthful, somehow, more vibrant and healthy, "Gram is it you?" Bella could feel the tears flowing out of her eyes, but she didn't care. "I see my Grandma, she's coming towards me smiling," she told Dr. Volturi.

"Would you like your grandmother to go with you into your past life, to act as a guide or a witness?"

Bella thought for a moment, but as tempting as that sounded, she decided against it, "no, I don't think so. I have the feeling that I need to see this on my own."

As Bella finished speaking, Gram approached her. She hugged Bella tightly and whispered in her ear, "be happy, Bell. Don't grieve for me, and don't worry about my approval for your Edward. Just be happy." She finished her message and turned around, disappearing back into the mist.

"She's gone," Bella said and she didn't feel sad.

"Okay, Bella. In front of you is a long hall filled with many doors. Each door is a different lifetime. Picture that hall. I am going to suggest that you only choose a lifetime that is relevant to what you need to know in this lifetime, and that anything you learn in this session you will remember.

"Now, you are being drawn to one particular door. Don't choose one, let it choose you. Tell me when you are in front of the door."

Bella let herself drift down the hall, passing doors of all shapes and sizes. Without realizing it, she was suddenly in front of one, "Okay. I'm in front of a door."

"What does it look like? Remember, that what the door looks like may or may not have anything to do with that particular lifetime."

"It's very, very tall, like thirty or forty feet tall. It's made of metal, I think. It has a long crash bar instead a handle."

"Bella, when I tell you to, you are going to walk through the door and step onto the ground of that lifetime. Are you ready?"

Bella was still so deep in relaxation, she was surprised she wasn't snoring, "yes."

"Okay, walk through the door. Step onto the ground. What are you standing on?"

"Dirt."

"What do you have on your feet, if anything?"

"Nothing, my feet are bare. They look brown, or at least very tan."

"Move your way up your body, what are you wearing on your body?"

Bella looked at her legs, they too were bare, "nothing on my legs. I have a thin cloth across my groin area. My stomach and my chest are bare."

"Do you get a sense if you are male or female?"

"I think I'm a male."

"Now look around you. What do you see?"

Bella looked around. At first things were fuzzy, like a nearsighted person trying to see far away without glasses. But as she continued to look, the picture came into focus. It was like she was there. "I see a forest on three sides of me. I see a little village with huts and a fire in a fire pit."

"Do you know your name, or do you hear someone call you?"

Bella paused, waiting, "I don't know."

"That's okay, we won't force anything. I want you to either fast forward or rewind to a significant event. Do that now."

Suddenly the scene around her spun and settled back into place, "it's night time. There is a celebration going on. The tribe is dancing around a fire and eating food. I'm beating on a drum," Bella laughed, "I have no sense of rhythm, how could they pick me to be a drummer?

"That's okay, Bella. What happens next?"

Bella looked around, and then sighed, "there she is. I see her. She is beautiful…and… I want her."

"What is her name?"

Bella spoke without hesitation, "Ananawei."

"Do you remember your name yet?"

Bella was distracted by the beautiful girl dancing around the fire, "no, I don't remember. I want to stop drumming and go dance with Ananawei, but it is not permitted. I want her. I will go to her father tomorrow and ask for her."

"Does she love you?"

"I think so. She smiles at me."

"Fast forward to when you ask for Ananawei."

Bella mentally fast forwards. The scene spins again, and suddenly it is daylight and she is on the hunt, "we are hunting. I approach her father and ask. He is a stern, hard man, but Ananawei loves him very much, as do the rest of his family," Bella groans now, the pain is beginning to tear at her heart, "he says no. Ananawei is going to the son of his brother, the chief. No, that can't be right. I know that man, and he is not a good man. Not good for Ananawei. I need her with me." The pain intensifies and Bella realizes she is rocking back and forth on the couch.

"Bella, pull yourself out of the situation. Imagine you are watching this take place on a movie screen," Dr. Volturi suggests.

Bella imagined that she is looking at this on a huge screen in a dark theater. The pain goes away a little bit. She stopped rocking.

Dr. Volturi speaks again, "Okay, Bella. What did you do when Ananawei's father tells you no?"

"I insisted. I told him that his nephew is not a good man for her. We argue for a long time. Later, he tells me that we will perform the Ucolati."

"What is the Ucolati?"

"Fight to the death. For Ananawei. When a man wants a woman and the father will not permit it, they fight. I think the other one wants this. He is the Chief's son, but he is afraid of me."

Dr. Volturi said, "Okay. Fast forward to another event."

Bella saw that she was suddenly pacing back and forth. Mentally, she somehow knew that she was deep, deep in the forest. She described that to Dr. Volturi.

"Why are you pacing?"

"Tomorrow at dawn is the Ucolati. I will win, I know, but I can't take Ananawei's father from her. She loves him. And can I make his other children orphans and his wife a widow? But I want her, I want her, I want her, I want her. I am pacing and pacing. It is impossible. I can't back out now. I cannot hurt her father, but I must not stand here and let her marry a bad man. I want her." Bella could feel the tears again, and again Dr. Volturi reminds Bella to watch the movie screen.

"You may go to any time during that life that you want to."

Instantly, Bella jumps to the next day, "we are in the circle. I can see Ananawei. She is crying. Her mother, too and her brothers are crying. They think I will win. I see that bad man. He is smiling. When the chief shouts, we will begin," Bella paused, waiting for the shout, "we have begun. I throw a couple punches in his direction, but then I allow him to take my neck in his hands. They are getting tighter and tighter."

"Are you going to die?"

"Yes."

"Describe that for me"

"For a moment I am afraid, but then I can't move anymore, and I am not afraid. I am going to the Great Spirit. I am happy." And Bella could tell that her expression was peaceful.

"What is the last thought as you leave your body?"

"I am glad Ananawei will not lose her father. I am happy," Bella could feel this happiness from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet.

"Okay, Bella. I want to bring you back to the hub, back to God. Is there any other time of this life that you want to explore?"

"No. I'm ready."

"Okay, go back through that door, back down the long hall, and back to God. I am going to ask you some questions, and you will get your answers from God." She paused, "do you know what lesson you were supposed to learn there in that life?"

"Sacrifice."

"And did you learn that lesson?"

"Yes."

"Was there anyone in that life that you know in your life as Bella?" 

"Yes. Ananawei and her father."

"Who is Ananawei?"

"Edward," Bella replied with a start. She had somehow known that all along, but had not realized it until now.

"Who is her father?"

"I'm not sure. I know him, but I am not getting the name. Someone I have met."

"Bella is there anyone in that life who needs to forgive you?"

"Ananawei's father."

"You can call his soul from that life forward. Let him come to you. Speak to his heart."

The figure of the man that Bella was just fighting came forward. He looked serene and he reached out his hand to her, "I'm sorry," Bella told him, "I loved her. Please forgive me for insisting and making you kill a fellow man." Bella then related to Dr. Volturi what he said, "he says, it is okay. He knows that I was right, but the chief made him give Ananawei to his son. He forgives me."

"Do you need to forgive anyone?"

"The chief's son."

"Call him forward"

Before she was done speaking, the tall, proud figure of the chief's son came through the mist, the guilt plain on his face, "I forgive you for forcing Ananawei's father into the Ucolati. And for doing that just to get rid of me." The guilt on his face eased, and he smiled. He didn't speak, but his heart told Bella's that he would be at peace now.

"You now have the opportunity to give your past self a message, would you like to do that?"

"You did the right thing," Bella told the muscular young man that was her former self, "it's not your fault you were tricked into that situation. But it turned out okay. We are together now."

"And if your former self could give you a message, what would it be?"

The young man took a deep breath, and looked Bella very seriously in the eye, she repeated for Dr. Volturi what he told her, "break the pattern."

"Bella, what pattern?"

Bella struggled for a moment. It felt like her mind was stuck in a mire, "I don't know. He didn't say. He just said, 'break the pattern'.

By the tone of her voice, she could tell that Dr. Volturi was finishing up, "Bella. You need to find the spoke for this life again, do you see it?"

"Yes."

"Okay, move up it. Your birth…you are four years old…you are eight years old…you are fifteen years old…Now it is today. Can you see yourself as you are?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now you can wake up."

Bella opened her eyes and looked around, feeling rested and refreshed. Dr. Volturi was watching her carefully. Bella's eyes slid past her, and focused on Edward sitting on the far end of the long couch, an anxious expression on his face. Bella smiled and looked back at Dr. Volturi. "Wow," she whispered, "that was amazing." Her eyes were wide, filled with wonder.

"How do you feel?" Dr. Volturi asked. The low monotone was gone, replaced by a more conversational tone.

"Light. I feel so light," Bella looked around the room again, "I feel like veil has been lifted from in front of my eyes and I can see so _much_!"

Dr. Volturi nodded, "remember, the portal has been opened. Don't be surprised if you get more glimpses of that life, both while you're awake, and while you're asleep, as dreams."

Edward was still concerned. He moved closer to Bella and took her hand again, "Dr. Volturi, is it possible for another person to get a…a…feeling about another person's past life?"

She thought for a moment, then answered slowly, "some psychics can get a feeling of your past life. They can tell you the mechanics of it, but they can't tell you how you felt about certain situations, or how the feelings may apply to this life. That's why it's best to experience it for yourself. You can get the closure and healing you need in this life. Was there a reason you asked?"

He looked at Bella and hesitated, "well, at the store a few days ago, this strange lady was begging us to break the pattern, just like Bella's former self told her. I thought she was just some crazy person, but now I don't know."

"It is possible that she was seeing something of a past life, but it seems like she was talking about the future to me. She didn't really tell you anything about the past, she was asking you to act, right? Maybe she saw a pattern that you seem to be experiencing, Bella, and it will cause problems in the future."

After a few more minutes of talking, Dr. Volturi walked them to the door, and shook their hands, "good job today, Bella. If you want to make an appointment for next week, we can take you back, if you want, Edward."

Edward squeezed her hand, "I think Bella better go again. I think she needs to figure out this pattern."

"Is that okay with you, Bella?" Dr. Volturi asked.

Bella really was okay with that. Although she was curious about Edward's past, she did want to figure out the pattern, and she was anxious to experience another life, "of course. This experience was amazing, thank you."

Dr. Volturi nodded, "make an appointment with the receptionist on the way out."

XXXXX

Edward and Bella lay in bed, side by side that night, holding hands. During the afternoon, the rain had stopped and the clouds had dispersed, giving way to a clear sky, full of stars. The moon shone in the window, and Bella could see Edward's face clearly. He looked at her, too, and listened attentively as she tried to describe their life together in the tribe.

"I don't know where it was or the year, but all in all, our life was peaceful. It was not a large tribe, so I knew Ananawei," Bella smiled when she said the name. It was odd to think of their roles as reversed, "from the time we were children. I had always loved you."

Edward interrupted, "and I'm sure Ananawei loved you. I have no doubt that my soul will always love yours, no matter what life we're in."

Smiling, Bella continued, "the chief wanted Ananawei's mother for another wife. His son wanted Ananawei. The two of them convinced Ananawei's father to declare Ucolati against me. If he refused the chief's orders, he could be excommunicated from the tribe. They would win no matter what. If I won, then the chief could get Ananawei's mother. If her father won, the son would get Ananawei. The women had no say of course. After I lost and Ananawei was married to the son, I'm sure they found another reason to get rid of her father."

Edward didn't say anything for a few minutes. Eventually though, the smile on his face disappeared, "I'm sorry. I had no idea that happened to you." Bella looked at him questioningly and he continued, "when you were eight. I'm sorry you had to relive that."

Now that she was not reliving the moment, it was easier to be detached, "it's okay. It's not your fault. I don't know where he is, but I forgave him a long time ago. It's taking longer to forget, though."

He was still frowning. His hand came up and pushed her hair back, behind her shoulder, "but still. You had to go through that for so long…I wish I could have been there, could have stopped it." The hand lingered, brushing against her neck, her cheek, twisting a lock of hair.

Bella smiled serenely, "even if you were there, you wouldn't have been able to stop it. No one knew. I didn't have to live through it for years, the way some people do. During Christmas break, an older student came forward and accused him. When I went back to school in January, he was gone and I never saw him again."

Edward's face relaxed, but there was concern still in his eyes. Bella grabbed the hand that was still near her shoulder and put it around her back, scooting closer. Edward kissed her forehead, and she heard him sigh, "nothing like that will have to happen again. As long as I'm here, nothing will hurt you."

Bella sighed too, and she must have fallen asleep because she was soon seeing pictures of a small village nestled deep in a dark forest.

XXXXX

**Well? What did you think? Please review and let me know! **

**I would like to recommend "A Chance Encounter" and "Secret Sex" by erinbatt. Neither are finished, but they are both amazingly well written and I love them both!**

**Stick around, cause we get a mini-lemon in the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, we're back with more! A few mysteries are solved in this chapter...what is this pattern everyone keeps talking about?**

**I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed. I appreciate you all so much!**

**I own a lovely air conditioner that is a God-send on a day like today. I do not own Twilight or any characters...unfortunately... *sigh*...**

XXXXX

Edward left for work that Friday morning, after warning Bella to be careful. When she asked what she should be careful of, he just shrugged and said he had a feeling.

"Don't worry. I'm just planning on staying in all day and writing," she told him.

He kissed her for a long moment, held her tight, and said, "okay. I'll call you later. Love you."

Bella still couldn't help smiling when he said that, even though he said that all the time now, "love you too."

Bella settled into her chair at the kitchen table and pulled up the internet. Today had to be a research day. As much as she loved history, she wasn't an expert on the civil war and she had to be accurate when describing a particular battle or the parts of a soldier's uniform. She had her legal pad next to her with pages of questions that she had written down as she typed the skeleton of her story. Now she had to research her questions and fill in the story.

When she was about a quarter of the way down her list, a flash of movement caught her eye. Bella looked up in time to see something dark move past her living room window, on the outside. Confused, she moved to the window and looked out. After the freezing rain yesterday, the weather had warmed up and the snow was melting in patches in the backyard, but she didn't see anything, so she opened the sliding glass door and walked out into the back yard. There was no one there, either. Bella decided that she must have been imagining it. It was pretty windy out, perhaps the wind had blown something past the window. Whatever the case, Bella didn't feel quite comfortable being alone there for the next couple of hours, and was glad when Rose stopped by unexpectedly. She didn't stay long, just long enough for a cup of coffee and to invite Bella and Edward to her house for dinner.

Edward seemed full of life when he got home that night. His brown eyes were bright and he had the smile of someone who has worked a hard week and is ready for a couple days off.

"Do you want to go out and do something, or do you want to stay in?" He asked after he kissed her and effectively took her breath away.

"Rose asked if we wanted to go up there tonight. Jasper and Alice are going to be there. She wanted to order pizza, maybe play some cards and have a few drinks.

His face brightened even more, "sounds good to me. Let me shower and change first, though. I stink." He laughed when he said this.

Bella hugged him tightly, and said, "I think you smell fine." As she spoke the words, she dropped her arms and frowned, "have I ever said that to you before?" She asked.

Edward frowned too, "no, I don't think so. What's wrong?"

She tried to shake it off, "nothing, just more déjà vu."

He laughed, "well, we know that we have had at least one lifetime together, so maybe you have!" he enthused.

"I wonder how many lifetimes we've tried to be together," Bella wondered, absently.

"All of them," Edward shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "by the way, are you going to tell your family that you're a new age quack now, into hypnosis and all that?"

Bella wasn't offended by the term, "well, they already know that I'm a little strange, so why not…"

Bella changed her clothes while Edward showered, then pretended to brush her hair while he got dressed. The tattoo on the back of his left shoulder caught her eye, the way it always did when he had his shirt off. It was a shield separated into three parts with thick red lines. There was an owl in each section and two dates underneath. It was his mother's family crest, he had explained to her, with the date of her birth and the date of her death. His loyalty to her was just one more thing that she loved about him.

It was after six-thirty by the time they were ready to go, and since it was dark, they decided to drive. All the lights were on in the huge farmhouse. And there was a welcoming air about the place when they walked in.

Rose had heard them coming and opened the door, "hey guys. Pizza should be here anytime."

Bella and Edward paused in the kitchen to take their jackets off, "when is Jasper moving in?" Bella asked.

Rose laughed, "they moved in yesterday and today. Where have you been?" she looked at Edward then shot Bella a look that told her she knew exactly where Bella had been.

"I've been…busy," Bella told her, "wait...they?"

Rose nodded, enthusiastically, "Jasper...and Alice."

"Really? I'm so happy for him!" Bella smiled.

"No kidding, he's had a thing for her since I met her freshman year of high school," Rose snorted.

Jasper, and Alice, were already sitting at the table in the dining room with a beer in front of each of them. Jasper had his arm around the back of Alice's chair and was leaning in, whispering in her ear. Bella introduced them to Edward and watched with smug satisfaction as Alice subtly looked Edward up and down when Jasper wasn't looking. Rose brought Edward a Bud Light, but brought Bella a hard lemonade. Edward raised an eyebrow at it.

"I know it's a girlie drink, but have you ever tried one? They're really good."

Edward pretended to scoff, "are you kidding? I'm not a girl."

Bella laughed and offered him a sip of hers, which he took. He grudgingly agreed that it tasted fairly good.

They talked and caught up as they ate, everyone occasionally glancing at Bella and Edward as if they had never seen her with a guy before.

Bella waited for a lull in the conversation before she spoke, "so, guess what I did yesterday." She felt Edward laugh silently beside her.

"What?" Rose asked. She had seen Edward laugh and was now curious.

"We went to a hypnotherapist, and I had a past life regression." Bella couldn't keep the grin off her face as she said this, knowing that sounded completely random. No one but Rose had ever heard her speak the words.

"Why would you do that?" Jasper wanted to know.

Bella tried to think through how to answer, "well, for one thing, Edward and I have just met, but we feel like we've known each other forever. And really, how in the world would he have known so much about me and my house when he had never been there before?"

Alice looked at Edward, "did you have session, too?"

Edward shook his head as he swallowed his bite, "no. After Bell got done, there was no time," he said dramatically.

Jasper's eyes were wide, "so you remembered another lifetime?" He seemed shocked.

Bella nodded, "I remembered living in a tribe somewhere. I was a man. I was in love with a girl, but the chief and his son made the girl's father kill me so the son could marry her. And guess what…Edward was that girl...sorry babe, that didn't sound right, did it?"

The girls laughed, but Edward didn't seem bothered by it, he just chewed and smiled.

Rose was also slightly surprised, "I guess that explains why you two feel so close, right? But does that mean you weren't Jake and Marie?" She sounded slightly disappointed.

"It's still possible. Every person has supposedly lived many, many lives."

"I've never known anyone who has actually remembered a past life," Rose commented.

Bella nodded, "we're going back next week. I'm going to have another session. There seems to be a pattern in my lives that I need to break. I have to figure out what that is."

Jasper wrinkled her forehead, "what do you mean, pattern?"

"Something seems to be happening over and over in my lives, and I have to stop it, or something like that. I'm not exactly sure about it, myself."

The conversation gradually moved onto other topics as they ate, and as they played a few hands of poker and black jack. After awhile Bella was feeling a little tipsy and she counted the bottles next to her. Three.

She sighed, "I'm such a lightweight, I've only had three, and I'm already feeling it."

Edward raised an eyebrow suggestively, "hmm, is this my opportunity to take advantage of you?" The rest of Bella's family laughed at his teasing.

Rose however, snorted, "as if you need alcohol for that!"

Bella knew herself well enough to know that if she stopped drinking, she would start getting extremely tired, but she also knew that she was intoxicated enough. She knew her limit. So after the last game of cards she asked Edward if he was ready to go. They said their goodnights, ignoring Rosalie's suggestive looks and waggling eyebrows.

As soon as they were in the house, Bella assaulted Edward. Her slight intoxication had intensified her attraction to him, the way alcohol does. Before they even had their jackets off, Bella had pressed herself against him and was pushing her tongue past his lips. Bella sealed her mouth to his, but dropped her hands momentarily so she could shrug out of her jacket, letting it fall to the floor. He did the same and as soon as their arms were free, they wrapped them around each other again. Still kissing and grasping at each other, Bella and Edward stumbled their way to the couch where he pushed her back. She could feel him along the length of her body, and the heat coming off of him threatened to smother her. One of his hands was braced against the couch keeping the majority of his weight off of her, but the other hand was everywhere. It started out on her face, but quickly moved to her shoulder, down her arm, over her waist, to her thigh and back up, pausing as he traced her ribs. Bella arched her back, and he took the hint, brushing his thumb over her breast. He moved his lips urgently from her lips to her neck. Bella heard him gasping for air, and for the first time she noticed how heavily she was breathing. It was as if she didn't need air until he reminded her of it. Their bodies moved together, fitting together perfectly, as if they were made for each other. There was nothing in the world that she wanted more in this moment than him.

Bella moved her leg towards the back of the couch and bent her knee, making room for Edward between her legs. As soon as he had the space he began thrusting his hips into hers. Her low moan made him suddenly stop and pull his face from Bella's, "This isn't taking it slow," he reminded her breathlessly.

"Take it slow?" Bella gasped, "we've been waiting for each other for how many hundred years? I think we've taken it slow enough!" She tried to pull his face back to hers.

Edward was stronger, "you're only saying that because you're drunk."

Bella pouted, "I'm not drunk."

He laughed and attempted to sit up. Bella cocked her head to the side, "what?" she asked, "don't you want me?"

Edward looked her up and down and shook his head, chuckling a little, "you have no idea how much. But not tonight. I don't want you to regret it in the morning. However, I think maybe I came up with a compromise." As he spoke he ran his fingertips from her chin, over her aching breasts to the waist of her jeans.

Bella gasped, "I though you said not tonight," she whispered.

Edward leaned forward and resumed his ministrations on her neck, "just let me make you feel good, baby. Please?" His fingers slowly moved down to cup her over her jeans. He put a slight bit of pressure on the seam of her pants, just over her most sensitive spot.

Bella thrust her hips back into Edward's hand and moaned wantonly. The sound made Edward groan as well, and he simultaneously ground his erection onto her thigh as he lightly bit her earlobe.

"Yes, God yes, Edward," Bella panted, "please."

Edward sped up the motion of his hand, taking note of Bella's breathless moans, "that's it, come on, baby. Come for me..."

That was all it took as Bella's body stiffened beneath him. She cursed and moaned and called out to every god she could think of. Edward kissed and licked the soft spot behind her ear, bringing her down from her orgasm. After several long seconds, Edward felt Bella's hands stroking his hair. Nervously, he lifted his head to try to read her expression.

Bella gazed at him softly, and slowly, so very slowly, her hand left Edward's hair and slid down his torso, toward where he was gently thrusting against her thigh. His hand caught hers before she could reach her destination.

"No, Love," he murmured, kissing her lips gently, "this was for you." Shifting his body to lay behind Bella, he pulled her back into his chest and covered them with the blanket from the back of the couch.

His words made Bella fall just a little more in love with him

XXXXX

As slow as the days had moved before Bella was able to be with Edward, they moved that fast now. The days flew by.

Sunday was spent at Carlisle's house. Bella spent a good part of the day in the kitchen with Esme where Esme told her how much she and Carlisle liked her, and how Esme hoped Edward was treating her like a lady. Bella told her that he was. Bella also invited Esme and Carlisle to her house for dinner next Sunday, which they gladly accepted.

Monday started the week again. Bella wished the weekend was longer. It wasn't long enough for her to get her fill of Edward. She felt like she could be with him every second of every day and it wouldn't be enough. But they both had bills to pay, so they both needed to get back to work.

Wednesday night Bella told Edward how anxious she was for Friday. Edward couldn't take any more time off from work, so they made their appointment with Dr. Volturi for Friday at six. Luckily, she was willing to stay late. They had finished dinner and were still sitting at the table, talking.

"Nervous?" Edward asked. He had noticed her knee bouncing up and down.

Bella stopped bouncing it, "no. I'm excited. I can't wait to see Dr. Volturi on Friday."

He smiled, "I see it didn't take much to turn you into a believer…"

"I wonder if I can make myself go to my life as Marie…I mean, if I keep it in the back of my mind."

He thought about that, "maybe. Just don't do anything that's going to influence the validity of the regression." He then stood up and took her hand, "come on, Marie. I'll help you with the dishes."

While Bella filled the sink with water, he went to her stereo and put on "The Spinners" again. It was becoming a favorite of theirs, after that first night. Bella and Edward sang along as she washed and he dried. It was just so easy to be silly and goofy and…herself with him.

Bella's phone rang and she dried her hands to answer it. The caller ID showed 'unavailable' on the screen, but she answered it anyway, "Hello?" There was no answer, "hello?" she tried again. Still no answer, so she hung up.

"Wrong number?" Edward asked.

"I don't know. No one answered. That was the seventh or eighth time that's happened this week."

Edward frowned, "eighth time? That's weird. Maybe we should consider getting your number changed."

"If it keeps happening, I might."

He suddenly seemed a little nervous, "I might change mine, too."

Bella was confused, "why?"

"Victoria's called me four times since Monday. If I don't answer, she just calls over and over until I do. She doesn't leave a message."

"What does she want?" Bella wasn't really nervous anymore, she felt confident in his love for her.

"She wants me to come over to her place to talk. I keep telling her that we have nothing to talk about, but she won't let up."

He was standing by the stereo where he had taken the CD out and put it back on the shelf. Bella walked up to him and put her arms around his middle, "maybe she's becoming obsessed with you," Bella teased, "I can see how that would be an easy thing to do."

The worry on his face was replaced by a smile. He rolled his eyes, dramatically, "whatever. I'm not that irresistible."

"Yeah, you keep thinking that," Bella told him as she leaned her head on his shoulder, "you probably have a string of broken hearts a mile long behind you."

He rubbed his hands up and down on her upper arms, "yours is the only heart I care about, you know."

She lifted her face to look at him, "I know. And that's good. I wouldn't want to become a stalker, too."

He leaned down to kiss her uplifted face, "you can stalk me anytime you want."

Thursday passed without incident, except for receiving that strange phone call three more times. By the time Friday arrived, Bella was bouncing off the walls. She was supposed to meet Edward at Dr. Volturi's office. She left about a half hour early and was sitting in the waiting room when he got there. He laughed at her knees bouncing up and down again, then came over and kissed her. The receptionist smiled at them as she gathered her purse. Edward and Bella were the last appointment of the day.

Dr. Volturi called them in shortly thereafter and they situated themselves on the same couch as last time. They talked about the week, and if Bella had any more memories. There was nothing of consequence, just glimpses of a small village in a forest during her dreams.

When Dr. Volturi asked if Bella was ready to get started, Edward automatically moved to the other end of the couch, to give her some space. Dr. Volturi started with the relaxation exercises and then asked Bella to imagine the spoke in the wheel. Again, she asked Bella to remember events during various ages in her current life, this time using different ages.

"Okay, Bella, think of a significant event that happened when you twenty."

"My dad gets remarried and moves. I am living alone."

"Do you like living alone?"

Bella smiled, "yes. I feel grown up."

She could hear the smile in Dr. Volturi's voice, "okay, now go back and tell me about an event that happened when you were fourteen."

"I kissed a boy."

"What was his name?"

"Eric."

"Was it your first kiss?"

"Yes."

"Go back to when you were seven and tell me about a significant event."

"I got a new bike for my birthday. My parents were fighting and my dad kicked my bike and broke it on the way to his car. I got another new bike and two Barbies to make up for it."

"How did you feel about that?"

"I was glad to get the new bike and the Barbie dolls, but I would have rather not gotten them if it meant that they didn't fight."

"Go back to when you were two and tell me about another event."

Bella thought for a moment, although she didn't need to, "I'm on my mom's lap and I'm so tired. We're in the rocking chair."

"Go to the time just after your birth. Is there a significant even you can share?"

"I am looking at my momma's face."

Dr. Volturi then took Bella back before her birth again, back into the hub, the place with God that filled her with the strong sense of love and understanding. The feeling was so strong that tears filled her eyes. She didn't see Gram this time, she didn't see anyone, so Dr. Volturi led her to the hall of doors.

"Once again, let one door pull you towards it. Let it draw you. Tell me when you get there."

This time, Bella didn't have to go far down the hall. She was pulled to the very first door, "okay, I'm here."

"And what does the door look like?"

"It's not very tall. It's wooden and rounded at the top. There's a black ceramic handle. I think I've seen it before."

"Okay Bella. When I tell you, I want you to step through the door and plant your feet firmly on the ground of that lifetime," the was a short pause, "do it now."

Bella did as she was told. She opened the door and stepped into that lifetime. At first, there was an intense rush of images, sounds, smells, and knowledge. They all swirled around her, making her dizzy.

Dr. Volturi's voice made her focus and the dizziness subsided, "focus on the ground. What are you standing on?"

Bella couldn't be sure at first, "I think it's a sidewalk. It's gray." She tapped her toe, "no, I think it's wood."

"What, if anything, are you wearing on your feet?'

Bella looked down, "boots. They're black and pointy. I think there are laces up the front of the boots."

Dr. Volturi's monotonous voice came through Bella's haze, "move up your body, can you get a sense whether you're male or female?

Every memory from that lifetime came back in an immediate rush. "OH!" Bella gasped as if someone had punched her in the stomach. Instinctively, she reached out for the arm of the couch and grasped it tightly, "I'm a woman. I'm Marie. I remember _everything_!"

"What do you mean 'everything', Bella?"

"I feel like I'm in this life. Like it's happening now. I'm not remembering being Marie, I _am_ Marie!" Bella breathed.

"Bella, what are you doing right now?"

"I am standing on the porch. But I think I was on my way to my chair, so I can sit down."

"Can you guess at a time of the day?"

"It's early morning, about five-thirty. It's a little chilly out and I have a quilt from my bed over my shoulders."

"Do you always sit outside on cold mornings?"

"Of course. I have to wait for Jake to come in for the morning chores."

"Who is Jake?"

"Jake is my…my…fiancee. It sounds funny to say it. Father just gave him his permission last night." Dr. Volturi was about to speak, but at that moment, in her suddenly very vivid memory, Bella heard Jake whistling, "he's coming now," she told Dr. Volturi, "I hear him whistling. He sees me now and he waved. Now he's running to me. Oh! I've already had this memory."

"You already had this memory?" Dr. Volturi's voice sounded confused.

"Yes. I dreamed it one night."

"Tell me what happens next, Bella."

"Jake is running towards me, smiling. He's reaching for my hand over the porch railing and I give it to him. I asked him how he slept last night and he says as well as he could without me," Bella giggled, "if father hears him talk like that, he'll dock his pay. He asks me how I slept. I tell him that I went to bed early so I wouldn't have to miss him all night. It's the same conversation we have every morning. He kisses my hand, then puts it on his cheek. I can feel his rough beard under my hand. Helen says he needs to shave, but I like it better when he doesn't," Bella stops and sighs, as if allowing herself to experience this memory, as if it were really happening.

"Who is Helen?"

"My sister."

"Bella's sister or Marie's sister?"

"My sister."

Dr. Volturi moved on, "what's happening now, Bella."

"Robert and James are walking past us to the barn. James says, 'come on, work to do, Jake.' Jake makes a face behind his back, and I giggle. Jake can outwork the two of them put together. I don't like James."

"Why don't you like James?"

"He scares me."

"What next, Bella?"

"Jake kisses my hand again, then says he'll see me at dinner. I kiss his cheek and he goes to work. I'm still sitting on the porch, but I smell eggs cooking. I need to go in and help mother."

"Bella, when I tell you to, I want you to fast forward or rewind to a significant event in that lifetime. Be there now."

The scene changed and Bella found herself walking towards the backdoor of her house from the chicken coop. She related that to Dr. Volturi, then began to tremble because she heard James call her name, and she knew what happened next.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Dr. Volturi asked.

"James is standing inside the milk house. He is calling to me," she whispers. Bella's whole body felt ice cold, and even she could hear the fear in her shaky voice, and feel the tears about to spill, "I go over to him to see what he wants. I go into the milk house and he is alone in there. He closes the door, then pushes me up against it. Ow! He hurt my neck," her voice is becoming more and more panicked.

"Bella, step back. Imagine you are simply watching this on a movie screen, as if it is happening to somebody else."

"I'm scared. He pushes his body up against me and I don't like it. I don't like how he's looking at me. He says, 'why aren't you as friendly to me as you are to Jake?' I tell him to let me go, but he pushes against me harder. 'I want some of your attention, too, Marie.' I don't like to hear him say my name. His breath is in my face and it smells bad," Bella was sobbing openly now, and Dr. Volturi reminded her again to watch this as though on a movie screen. That helps a little, but she can still feel the paralyzing fear, "James…he grabs the top of my blouse and yanks, popping off some buttons. His hand goes inside my blouse…s-s-stop it stop it stop it! I don't like this! He's k-k-kissing my neck, but I don't like it. I'm so scared, and I'm crying. I'm trying to push him away, b-b-but he's too strong. He has me up against the door. I can feel his…his…hardness against my leg and some vomit comes up into my mouth…. He doesn't like this and he pushes me down," Bella struggle to take a deep breath, remembering that the worst is over now. Her face relaxes and she can speak a bit slower, "he laughs at me. Then he says that if I tell anyone, he'll kill Jake. And he'll kill my family too. I know he will. I hate him. After he leaves, I try to stand up and fix my shirt and my hair, which is falling out of the bun. Helen sees me and asks what happened, I tell her I fell. When Jake sees me later, he asks why I am so quiet. I lie to him, the only time ever. I lie to save his life. I tell him I'm tired." And Bella felt tired. She felt exhausted after that.

"Bella, can you fast forward or rewind to another event?"

The memories swirl around her and she feels happiness. No, not happiness, but elation, wonder. As horrible and fear filled as that last memory had been, this was on the opposite end of the spectrum. Bella had never felt anything like this in any of the lives she'd experienced so far.

"The wedding!" Bella tell Dr. Volturi. And she can feel the happiness on her face.

"Who's wedding?"

"Mine and Jake. Mother is fixing my dress," Bella suddenly laughed with delight, "I see little Margaret! I see Gram! She's four years old, oh, she's so cute in her new little dress!" She laughs again. "Now father and I are at the church. I have my arm through his and he is about to open the church door and walk me to Jake, but first he kisses my cheek. He says he is proud of me and I am a little surprised because he doesn't say things like that very often. His voice is rough as if he is angry, but I think I see tears in his eyes." Bella pauses for just a moment until she sees Jake in her memory. "He is so handsome," she breaths, "I am the luckiest girl in the world, you know."

"Who is handsome, Bella?"

"Jake," and she can't speak another word because the feelings are too strong to allow her to think of anything to say.

"Are there any other events you want to visit in this lifetime, Bella?"

She sighed, contented, "no. I am perfectly happy. This is the happiest I have ever been."

Dr. Volturi spoke again, slowly, carefully, "Okay, now I want you to remember the circumstances surrounding your death."

Bella reluctantly fast forwarded. She didn't have to go far, "okay. I'm there. I have climbed a tree, picking apples. Jake loves apple pie. I'm going to make him one," her breathing accelerates, and she can feel the fear rising from her stomach, into her throat. Her voices rises an octave, "when I get down, James is there. Jake just left. Did he wait for Jake to leave? Why can't Jake come back?" She is panicking now, "what is he doing here? Father let him go months ago. We thought he went home to live with his family. He says 'hello, Marie, I've missed you.' I try to be nice. I tell him hello. I try to go in the house, but he grabs my arm, making me drop all the apples. I want him to stop. Let me go, please!"

"Bella, remember, step back. Watch it on the movie screen."

Bella paused the scene, still more frightened than she had ever been, and takes a breath. "He grabs both arms and pulls me up to him. He says, 'I hear you two are married. I bet he's got you broke in real good by now.' I don't know what else to do. I scream. This makes him angry. I can see his face turn red. He looks toward the big house. I don't know if anyone heard me. I scream again. Jake puts his hands on the sides of my face and twists." Bella abruptly stops speaking. There is nothing more to tell.

"Bella, what happens next?"

"I'm dead. I am above my body. I see Jake run away, into the cornfield."

"What was your last thought before death?"

"I'm sorry Jake. But you made me so happy."

"Bella, I'm going to bring you back into the hub now, back to God. Go there now."

Bella immediately obeys Dr. Volturi's instructions. The purple and blue mists are swirling around her and all the fear she felt before has vanished. She is completely protected here.

Dr. Volturi continues, "I'm going to ask you some questions and God will give you the answers."

"Okay."

"What lesson were you supposed to learn in that lifetime, Bella?"

"Patience."

"And did you learn that lesson?"

"Yes…somewhat."

"And what lessons are you required to learn in this lifetime?"

"Happiness. I haven't learned that one yet."

"Is there anyone in that life that you know in this life?"

"Yes. A few."

"Who are they?"

"I know Jake. It's Edward. My father was my father. Rose was Helen. James is…James is…" Bella's voice tailed off.

"Take your time, Bella. Don't strain to remember, just let it come."

Bella breathed deeply, relaxing even further, but the name wouldn't come, "I don't know. I know him, but I can't think of who it is."

"That's okay, Bella. Now is there anyone in that lifetime who needs to forgive you?"

Bella says Helen's name without thinking about it.

"Let her come before you in that life's form."

Bella saw Helen walking out of the mist. Helen was smiling like she was happy to see her. Bella took her hand, "Helen, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I was impetuous and not a proper lady. I think I was a disappointment to you." Bella listens to her speak, then tells Dr. Volturi what she said, "she says she wasn't disappointed in me, that she was proud of me." Bella knew that she was crying again, but these are tears of joy.

"Anyone else?"

"Jake."

"Let Jake come before you in that form," she murmured

Some small part of Bella's mind wondered what Edward was thinking, sitting there next to her so quietly. It took a moment, but she finally saw Jake approaching. He was running and he caught her up in a hug. He has missed her. "Jake I'm sorry I left you so quickly. I know that if you left me, I don't think I could have gone on," then Bella speak to Dr. Volturi, " he laughs and says he didn't go on. Now he says that he needs to beg my forgiveness. For what? For not protecting me from James. Of course I forgive you, you couldn't have known. Now we're hugging, and he's walking back into the mist."

"Bella, is there anyone that you need to forgive?"

"James."

"Call him forward now."

"I see him walking towards me. He's before me now. I want forgive him, but he's smiling that smile…he's…sneering at me!" Bella was appalled, "he doesn't care if I forgive him or not! I want to forgive him, but he doesn't care. Can I do it at another time?"

"Or course. You can forgive him at any time. Remember, you don't need his permission to forgive him. Whenever you are ready to forget him and move on."

"I'm ready to move on now. James, I forgive you whether you care or not. Now he's laughing at me and walking back into the mist. Seeing his indifference makes me feel a little sick."

Dr. Volturi was wrapping up, "now Bella, Is there any message you would like to give to your former self? To Marie? Call her forward now if there is."

Bella let her heart call to Marie. As she came forward, Bella felt as if she were looking into a mirror, except for the clothes. Bella spoke out loud to her, but only did so for Dr. Volturi's benefit. She knew Marie would have been able to hear what was in her heart, "enjoy every moment with Jake, and don't let James frighten you, he's just a coward. Now she's telling me something…break the pattern. She looks worried and says breaks the pattern again. Now she's going back, too."

Dr. Volturi then woke Bella up. She felt the same feeling of amazement and wonder exciting her mind as she looked around the room, "how do you feel?" She asked.

"This was even more amazing than last time. It was…it was… I can't explain it! I can remember every second from her life, like it happened to me in this lifetime. Bella looked at Edward who was smiling apprehensively, "you were there. We loved each other so much, we couldn't be apart!" She reached out to him and he moved closer, taking her hand and kissing it. She laughed, "you carried that habit over. You were always kissing my hand every chance you got!"

Edward laughed too, relief apparent in his voice, "I knew we were them. I'm glad you remember."

"I don't know how I could have forgotten, it was so strong and clear," Bella looked to Dr. Volturi as if she would be able to clear it up.

"This lifetime does seem to be close to the surface for you two. That's extremely rare. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've had a client be able to recall a lifetime so completely. It's obviously very important to you."

"Everyone always thought Marie fell out of the apple tree and broke her neck. I can't believe she was murdered."

"There is something that I want to ask you about. Over the last week, have you had any luck remembering who Ananawei's father in this life?"

"No, not yet, why?"

"Well, you can't remember who he is now, and you can't tell who James is, either. Both of them killed your former selves, and both of your former selves told you to break the pattern."

Edward caught on before Bella did, "are you saying that the pattern is someone killing her in all of her lives?" He sounded angry. Bella was shocked and wanted to speak, but remained was frozen. 'Someone was killing me', she wondered? 'Every time?'

"Well that's what I'm not sure about. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but usually only things that are important for this life tend to come through during these sessions. That is the only pattern I've noticed so far. It would help if she could figure out who this James is in this current life."

Bella finally found her voice, "would it help if Edward went next? He might be able to figure out who it is, since he was there, too."

Dr. Volturi was nodding before Bella finished her sentence, "yes, I think that's a good idea. Actually I was wondering if you were free tomorrow? I know it's a Saturday, but we could do his session here at the office. I don't have any other appointments and we could take all the time we need. I think it's important.

Edward was eager, "yes, we'll be here. About Eleven?"

"Yes. Sounds good. I'll see you two tomorrow," she had walked Bella and Edward to the door. She was trying to keep her voice light, but her forehead was creased into a frown. She bid them goodbye and Edward and Bella left the deserted building.

That was the first night Edward and Bella made love.

XXXXX

**Muhahahaah! Yes, I left it there...it's all a ploy to get you to come back for the next chapter!**

**So, who can guess who James is? I think it's probably pretty obvious! **

**Please hit that little link at the bottom of the page and review...I know you're there...just review...come on... all the cool kids are doing it...**

**This week I want to recommend a new author I've recently discovered: Troublefollows1017. I've read "Fridays at Noon" and am currently reading "High School Confidential." Both are amazing, so check them out on my favorites list.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay...the moment you've all been waiting for...at least I think you are...I know I am. I'm not the best lemon writer so let me know what you think!**

**Please remember that I have no beta, so please forgive all the typos and the excessive use of commas. I'm comma junkie.**

**Also, since this is fiction, I've taken the liberty to change Bella's birthday from September to March. **

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters. All unrecognizable characters are mine. I also own a comfy lawn chair that I am currently sitting in and watching my kids play in the pool.**

XXXXX

_That was the first night Edward and Bella made love._

She knew it would happen. Bella could feel Marie's love for Jake intensifying her love for Edward, making it almost unbearable. She needed him. She ached to be with him. The yearning grew into it's own being and swirled around them in the car. She was sure he could feel it too, because the tension was almost palpable. Neither of them spoke for most of the ride.

When they were almost home, Edward broke the silence, "are you okay? You've been quiet."

"Just thinking about Marie."

Edward chuckled once, and then dropped the hand he was holding to brush her hair back over her shoulder, "always thinking about yourself."

That broke the tension somewhat, but his hand lingered on Bella's cheek and her neck, and she wondered if he could feel the electricity zinging from his hand into her skin.

As they were taking their coats off, Edward looked at Bella, wondering, she was sure, if she really was all right. Bella moved slowly to the couch, looking at the floor and sat down. Edward stared at her for a second, then he knelt on the floor in front of her and took her hands.

"Please," he begged, "tell me what's wrong."

Bella tried to explain, but his eyes were burning into her and his lips were so close, they were distracting.

Bella looked at the floor, and then back at his confused, concerned face, "I just…I'm overwhelmed, I think. I can remember all of Marie's memories, and I feel all of her feelings. I know exactly how she felt about Jake. I feel…I feel like I've been away from you for a century and now I have just reunited with you after all this time…I don't know…"suddenly her words no longer failed her. Bella looked in his eyes, "and I want you…no, I _need_ you," her voice sounded resolved.

He kind of smiled, "I want you, too."

"No, I mean now. Right now," She leaned forward and kissed him passionately. He was willing at first, but soon pulled back and looked at her questioningly. He stared into her eyes, trying to decipher her true feelings. There was nothing to see except pure love, absolute conviction, and heart wrenching need.

"No more taking it slow?"

Bella shook her head, "there's no sense in it. We've already been together, we've just been apart for a hundred years, and I feel like I've missed you so much. It's time, and if I can't be with you, I think I might burst."

"Well," he said, taking a deep breath and smiling, "we wouldn't want that." That was all that needed to be said. He took her hand and led the way into the bedroom. After closing the bedroom door, they stood in the middle of the floor gazing at each other, having a silent conversation with their eyes. Silently, they spoke of their love and commitment and their hope for the future. Placing a strong hand on Bella's cheek, he slowly pulled her in for a light kiss. As Bella threaded her fingers into his hair, he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue gently along hers, drawing a soft moan from the back of her throat.

That moan seemed to flip the switch and their movements became frenzied. Splaying one hand flat across her back, Edward pulled her body flush with his while his other hand moved from her cheek to wind into the hair on the back of her head. He held her face firmly to his, not that she could even consider moving away now.

One of Bella's hands drifted from his wild hair to the buttons on his shirt. With unusual dexterity, she popped the buttons, one at a time, and pushed the shirt off of his shoulders, enjoying the strong, smooth skin beneath. She raked her nails over his sculpted chest and abs, then wrapped an arm around his waist.

He hissed as she dug her nails in and moved his lips to her jaw, then lower to her neck, "Bella," he whispered. Without waiting for her to acknowledge him, he pulled her shirt over head and pulled back for a moment, just admiring her.

His eyes moved over every inch of newly exposed skin before meeting her eyes again. They were wide and feral, "you are so beautiful." Before he could stop himself, he gathered her in his arms again and kissed her hard. Both hands came around and pulled down the cups of Bella's bra so he could palm her breasts roughly, running his thumbs over her distended nipples. He moved his lips back to her neck, sucking softly on the spot behind her ear. Agonizingly slowly, his mouth made the trek from her neck to her collar bone down to the swell of her breast. He licked and nipped at that spot, teasing for a moment.

"Yes, Edward. Please," she groaned in a throaty voice. Edward obeyed and took a nipple into her mouth, sucking and swirling his tongue around the tip.

Bella could take no more and impatiently dropped her hands to the button on Edward's jeans, unfastened them, pushing them down to his knees. Her impatience must have been contagious because Edward's mouth continued its downward trek, dropping licks and kissing over her stomach, sucking at her belly button and earning a breathless giggle from Bella at the sucking sound me made. Looking up at her from his position on his knees, Edward unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down, gently supporting her as she pulled each foot out of each pant leg. Lovingly, he caressed her calves and behind her knees as he kissed the inside of each thigh. He could smell her arousal through her wet panties and he closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

"Are you sure, love?" He asked quietly. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was stop, but if she changed her mind, he would.

Bella smiled down at him and nodded as she dragged her fingers across his scalp, pushing his hair off of his forehead. "Yes. Absolutely."

Edward wrapped his arms around her hips and laid his cheek against her stomach for a moment, enjoying her fingers in his hair, her scent, her very presence.

Bella moved her hands to his cheeks and pulled gently, silently prompting him to stand up. Edward gently took his face in her hands as well. "I love you," she whispered.

"You are my life now," he replied, as he gently laid her back on the bed.

After shedding the last of their undergarments, Bella reached over into her bedside drawer. Edward smirked at her, "I'm glad you're prepared," he murmured.

She winked as she handed the condom over to him, then pulled his face back to hers to kiss him deeply. One of Edward's legs was between hers and she began to grind against him, moaning softly against his mouth, "Edward, I need you."

Edward looked at her for only a moment and seeing the fire burning deeply in her eyes, needed no further proof that she was ready. Slowly, he pushed into her, sighing in acute relief.

"Oh Bella, God you feel so good," he rasped.

Bella roller her hips into his and when he pulled out slowly, only to pound back in quickly, she had all she could do not to scream out loud, "Yes!"

It was only a few minutes before they were both right on the edge of their climaxes. Edward unwrapped one of her legs from around his waist and hooked his elbow behind her knee, pushing her leg into her chest and changing his angle of penetration. He began hitting a spot that Bella didn't even know existed and she cried out, unable to hold off anymore.

"Edward...I'm...yes...God, yes!"

The second Edward felt her clamping down around him, he began to fall as well, "that's it, baby. God, yes Bella!" He groaned into her neck, along with a string of profanities.

As they moved together through that night and into the morning, Bella was pretty sure that she forgot the outside world. For one night, they were the only two people in existence. Being with Edward made her realize for the first time that when you're with your true soul mate, the one you've been searching through life times for, it can be an overpowering, all-dominating thing. They fell asleep just before the sun came up on Saturday morning, exhausted, fulfilled, complete in each other.

Bella awoke to weak sunlight streaming in her east window and Edward kissing a line across her cheekbone. He chuckled when he saw her open her eyes, "morning. Did you get enough sleep?"

Although they were awake until the wee hours of the morning, Bella felt strangely rested. She had slept deeply, dreamlessly, and now felt relaxed, but awake, "I think I did," she told him, "how about you."

Smiling, he said, "I'm pretty sure I don't need to sleep when I'm with you. But we have to get up soon. It's after nine-thirty and we have to meet Dr. Volturi at 11:00, remember?"

Bella groaned, "I'd rather just stay in bed all day, wouldn't you?"

"Absolutely," he agreed, "but she seemed concerned about this pattern you have to break. We better not be late." He kissed her very seriously for a moment, then they resigned themselves the fact that there _was_ an outside world and got showered and ready to go, grabbing McDonald's on the way because they were famished. Not eating dinner, and then working up an appetite all night does that to you.

Dr. Volturi was in her office when Edward and Bella arrived. The door leading from her waiting room to her office was open and they could see her sitting at her desk, flipping the pages in a thick book, as if she was researching something specific. Bella's heart began to beat a little faster. She couldn't wait to hear what kind of a lifetime Edward would remember. Would his be the same as hers, or would he remember something totally different?

She heard them enter and looked up, smiling to greet them, "come on in guys. I was just doing a little research while I waited for you." She stood up and shook both of their hands as they entered.

"Did you have any memories or dreams about Marie or your other lifetime last night, Bella?" She asked.

The reminder of last night made Bella blush. She glanced sideways to Edward and saw that his face was slightly red, too, "no. I don't remember having any dreams last night at all. I think I slept too deeply."

Dr. Volturi noticed their discomfort and looked at them questioningly as they settled into our normal spots on the couch, but must have decided it was better not to ask. Instead she settled into her chair and got right down to business.

"Okay, Edward. You remember most of what I told Bella before her first regression, don't you?"

He nodded, solemnly, "yes."

"Great, let's get started,"

Bella got up immediately and moved to the end of the couch, to give Edward some space to relax. Dr. Volturi began the relaxation exercises, and Bella watched as he began tightening and relaxing every muscle in his body. He was wearing a t-shirt today and as he began tightening the strong muscles in his forearms and biceps, Bella started feeling a stirring of desire in the pit of her stomach. 'Stop!' She commanded herself, silently. 'This isn't what we're here for'. She shook her head to banish the thought and stared at Dr. Volturi's feet until she was finished with the exercise.

She instructed him to imagine the wheel. He said it was a bicycle wheel with many, many spokes.

"Tell me about a significant event that happened when you were twenty," she prompted.

Immediately, his face crumpled, and a tear escaped from under his closed eyelid, "my mom died. She had cancer." His voice was barely more than a whisper.

Bella felt so bad for him. She almost reached out to comfort him, but Dr. Volturi was already moving on. She didn't have to ask how he reacted to this…it was evident. "Edward, go back to when you were ten and remember a significant event."

His face brightened, and for one second, he had the innocence of a ten year old. Bella wondered if her face had been that mobile when it had been her sitting there, "I won the class spelling bee. I even beat all the smart kids!" He boasted.

Bella noticed Dr. Volturi suppress a smile, "Tell me about an event when you were four."

"I didn't mean. It was a mistake," he looked worried.

"Mean what, Edward?"

"To break Mommy's necklace. I just wanted to look at it."

Bella smiled at how he seemed to embody the emotions of each age that he remembered. She wondered if his children would have the same tones and inflections in their speech.

"Okay, now I want you to remember the moments after your birth."

There was a pause, "I don't see anything."

"Take your time," she encouraged.

They waited. One minute…three minutes… "I can't see anything… it's so dark…"

"Use your other senses. Can you hear or smell or feel anything?"

Edward cocked his head to one side, "I think I hear a voice, but it's so muffled, I can't recognize it. There are two voices," he said after awhile. The he lifted his hand and moved it around in the air, "it's hard to move…like there's a great resistance pushing against me…like being in water."

Dr. Volturi's face brightened in understanding, "Edward, are you in your mother's womb?"

Understanding also came over Edward's face, "yes, I think I am."

"Amazing," Bella whispered, but they didn't hear her. How wondrous that anyone would be able to remember a time before birth. She had remembered a time shortly after birth, but this was even more unbelievable.

Dr. Volturi then took him in to the hub of the wheel, into the light, where he met with his mother. Again Bella watched the tears flow, and again she wanted to comfort him. There was something disconcerting to her in watching him cry and not being able to help. His reunion lasted a long time, almost twenty minutes, but when it was over, his face was peaceful, serene, and Bella relaxed again.

Dr. Volturi began taking him down the long hall, "you see before you a long hall lined with doors on both sides. I want you to…"

"DAMN HIM TO HELL WHERE HE BELONGS, THE BASTARD!" Edward's furious shout interrupted her. His face was contorted into a mask of pure unadulterated hatred and Bella flinched away from his anger.

Dr. Volturi was unaffected, "remember, Edward, if the feelings are too much, step back and watch your life on a movie screen. What lifetime are you…"

"I hate him! I'll kill him myself! No…stop…relax, take a deep breath…these feelings are not appropriate…God, please forgive me. Please take this anger and hatred from my heart." His voice rose with his violence, then fell into a murmur with his supplication.

Dr. Volturi knew what to do, "Edward, pause this memory. I want you to rewind and we will go to the time that caused this anger. When I say so, you will be there. Go there now."

Edward's face changed once again into a calm, friendly countenance. Dr. Volturi asked, "Are you there, Edward?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, what are you standing on?

"Sand. No…dust? It's very dusty here. Some kind of dirt."

"And what are you wearing on your feet?"

"Black shoes. The laces are tight."

"Move up your legs. What else are you wearing?"

"My pants are black."

"Can you get a sense of whether you're male or female?"

"Male.'

"Can you get a sense of your name, or do you hear someone calling you?"

"I don't know… there is someone talking to me…she calls me...Re...Reverend?" He laughed hysterically, "I'm a reverend?" Dr. Volturi waited for a few minutes for his amusement to subside.

"Who is talking to you, Edward?"

"I don't know her name."

"Okay, tell me what is happening."

"I am in a small settlement. I see a few wooden buildings…a store…a church…a saloon, a post office…we are downtown. It looks like the town from _Little House On The Prairie_. I'm holding a suitcase. I think this woman is giving me a tour. She introduces me to some men."

"Fast forward or rewind to a significant event if you'd like to," she encouraged.

"We are in the store. I am introduced to the shopkeeper. There is a woman shopping. She shakes my hand firmly like a man. She looks like a man," he chuckles once and pauses, "I see her now. She has stepped into the store. She is carrying a tiny baby. The older woman introduces me to her," Edward stops speaking for a moment.

"Tell me about 'her'."

"She is tiny, very thin. She has jet black hair that hangs straight down her back and bright blue eyes. The contrast is amazing. The other woman introduces her, she says her name is 'Ann'. For some reason I want to call her Annie."

Bella automatically knew without being told that she was Annie. She could tell by the look on his face. She was pretty sure it was the same look that she had when she realized Edward was Jake and Ananawei.

"What else, Edward?"

"She is very beautiful. Instead of shaking my hand, she _offers_ it, politely, like a lady. But she is no more than eighteen or nineteen. I can't look away from her eyes. They see through me. The other woman is telling me that Ann is a very kind young woman. She goes to church every week, and to Widow Morgan's house every day to cook for her and to read to her, because the old lady is almost blind. Annie shakes her head, shyly, humbly. And who is this? I ask. I touch the baby's cheek. She says Lily. She says it softly, reverently and looks at the baby with wonder." Suddenly, Edward gasped.

"What's happening, Edward?"

"When Ann bent her neck to look at the baby, I see a purple spot on her neck, under her collar. It's long and thin, like a finger. Is it a birth mark? I can't tell. I can't stop looking at it for a moment, and then her eyes draw me back to her face and I can't look away from her face. A man is walking towards us," Edward's voice is snarling again, the anger leaking through, "he walks up and the lady quickly introduces him as Mr. Black," Edward spits the name, "he puts his hand on Annie's shoulder. He's possessive. Annie flinched a little when he touched her. He shakes my hand, but is not friendly and he does not smile. I know without being told that the purple mark is not a birthmark. It's a bruise. He still has his hand on her shoulder and he guides her out of the shop. The older woman knows I saw the bruise. She tells me that Ann is a quiet, kind, Christian girl, and it is a shame the way he treats her. I ask why. I say how can he lay a hand on such a good, beautiful person? She says because he can. He's her husband. He tricked the family, pretending to be kind, but then became a monster after they married. How does this woman know so much?" his face was turned down into a thoughtful frown, but then he understands, "Ahhh…she's the town gossip...there is one in every settlement I've been to. They are women who are used to city living and their husbands bring them out here to try to strike it rich. They are bored so they busy themselves with everyone else's business."

Bella was enraptured. She couldn't get enough of watching Edward narrate this story, the changes in his expressions, the wide disparity between his anger and his shyness at being introduced to people he didn't know.

Dr. Volturi moved him along, "Okay Edward, can you fast forward or rewind to another event?"

Edward was quiet for a long time, a confused look on his face, "I don't know…" and then he laughed, "I'm preaching. I'm giving a sermon! Ha! Can you imagine?"

"What's the sermon about, Edward?"

"It's about sins of the heart and asking for forgiveness for our thoughts as well as our actions. Oh, I see. I have to talk about this, because I need to do it too…I look out at the congregation and I see them sitting there. Annie is so pretty in her Sunday clothes, with her hair pulled back and hanging like a curtain down her back. The baby is in her arms sleeping and Annie is watching me. Even when I am not looking in her direction, I can feel her eyes burning into me, seeing my soul. But I look at the face next to her and I feel hatred. I hate him because every time I see her in town, there is another mark on her. Last time it was on her wrist. Today there is a slight yellowing on her cheekbone. I want to kiss it and make it better…STOP!" He laughs one hard, unamused chuckle, "That's why I have to listen to my own sermon. I have inappropriate thoughts about a married woman and I have hatred and anger in my heart towards _him_. I don't like to say his name. He is staring at me while I talk and he seems unaffected, as if it doesn't apply to him. That's the way he always watches my sermons, as if they are for someone else." He stops.

"Edward, what happens next?"

"I am standing by the door and the congregation is filing out. Everyone shakes my hand, but they don't say much. My sermon made them uncomfortable. They don't want to look too closely at their own hearts. I shake _his_ hand, but she won't offer her hand now, she just nods. Her eyes look scared. I'm walking home. It's a short walk, but the whole way home, I'm thinking of ways to kill him. Drown him? He fishes sometimes in the creek that runs through the woods behind my house. Sneak into his house and suffocate him with a pillow? Strangle him and give him a taste of his own medicine? Each time I think of something, I admonish myself, and ask for forgiveness, but another way to kill him and free her sneaks into my mind. Can I leave her a widow and her daughter an orphan? I can run away with them. We can go back east, and we can pretend that we are married and that the baby is mine. I love them more then well enough for that. No! That is adultery. I learned King David's lesson from the Bible. He killed Uriah so he could have Bathsheba, and God punished him. But was Uriah an evil man? Did he hurt Bathsheba over and over?" Edward's face was anguished with his indecision.

"Edward. Don't forget to watch this take place on a movie screen. I know it can be difficult to do, but try. It will make it much easier to watch. Now fast forward to another event."

Edward nodded, took a deep breath and continued, "I am taking the sacraments to Widow Morgan. She has been sick and has not been able to make it to church to partake in the Lord's Supper. When I get close to the house I hear a voice that is not hers. There is a crack in the door, and I peek in. Annie is there reading from a book. I listen for a moment. It's Psalm 91. Her voices reads is smoothly and quietly. Next to where she sits, there is a basket. I assume the baby is sleeping there. When she finishes reading, she is quiet for a moment, and Widow Morgan sighs. She says it is one of her favorite Psalms, and Annie agrees. I want to see her, so I knock on the door and poke my head in. I say I am sorry for interrupting. Widow Morgan says it is never an interruption when I pay a visit. Annie gets up and prepares to leave. I tell her she doesn't have to leave, but she says her husband will be in from the fields soon and he likes supper ready when he gets home. I shake her hand and say 'it was good to see you again, Annie.' 'Why did you call me Annie,' she asks. I ask her if she prefers Ann, and she says no, her father used to call her Annie. And then for a second she looks sad. My heart aches for her. I hold her hand for longer than is necessary, and she lifts her surprised eyes to mine. Suddenly she jumps as if she is startled, but there is no loud noise. She collects her baby, bids us both goodbye and leaves. I wish she had stayed. I prepare to give Widow Morgan communion. She wants to talk about Annie. She says that she appreciates Annie spending time with her because she gets so lonely. I say Annie seems like a very good person. She tells me, yes. It's a shame she had to marry that awful beast of a man. Then she surprises me by saying that Annie would have made a fine preacher's wife. I don't say anything, but the widow's eyes are turned to me although she is almost blind. I wonder if she can see more than the rest of us."

The narration stops for a moment, then Edward's face turns bright red. His breathing is shallow and ragged and all the former anger returns, "NO!" he shouts, "NO! YOU DID IT YOURSELF, YOU BASTARD!" Bella cowered back into her seat again.

Dr. Volturi never loses her cool, "movie screen, Edward. Rewind a little to find the trigger of this emotion."

Edward breaths deeply and speaks quietly, "I am talking with Dr. Crowley at his house," he stops and takes another deep breath, "the door is kicked open and Black walks through. He is carrying Annie." Edwards voice is shaking, but he quickly stops and regains control, although his face is still in anguish, "her head is bleeding. Dr. Crowley leads the way through the door to his exam room. Black lays her down and says 'I think she's dead'. That's it. No remorse. Dr. Crowley puts a finger to her throat, examines her for a moment, then nods. While he was doing this I am getting angrier and angrier. The hatred is building up. Now I not only hate him, but I hate myself for not killing him when I had the chance and saving her. I have twice the hatred," his voice is low, but it comes out in a hiss, making it sound even more deadly. "When Dr. Andrews nods, I turn to the bastard, but I don't yell. I say, 'you did it, you son of a bitch!' he looks surprised. I step toward him, my fists are clenched, ready. I say 'admit it you bastard, say 'I killed her'…SAY IT!' By now, I'm shouting. The surprise in his face turns to anger and he pulls his arm back to swing at me, but although he is strong, I am strong also. And I'm faster. I am springing at him. I grab him around the middle and we fall to the ground, taking a table and some glass bottles and instruments down with us. I don't know how it happens, but I am sitting on his chest. I have his arms pinned under my knees and I am choking, then hitting, then choking him again…ROT IN HELL YOU BASTARD SON OF A BITCH! YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HER!"

Edward's outraged shouting after the quiet deadliness of his hiss made Bella flinch again. His hands were held out in a circle as if he were imagining a neck in between them. Dr. Volturi jumped in, "Edward! Fast forward quickly, now!"

Immediately, Edward slumped back against the couch and the anger faded, replaced by a sadness.

"I could have saved her," he moaned, "I could have, and I didn't."

"Where are you, Edward?"

"I'm sitting by her grave. I come here every night to ask her forgiveness."

Dr. Volturi allowed him to grieve for a moment, "are there any other significant events that you would like to visit while we are here, Edward?"

"No," he mumbled, "no. There is nothing else."

"Okay. I want you to go to the events and circumstances surrounding your death. When I say so, you will go there. Go there now."

Edward coughs. He coughs again, then moans.

"Where are you Edward?"

"I'm in a hospital. I can't breath very well. I know the end is near, and I'm ready. I have asked God for forgiveness, and I hope that I have done his work by helping people in the new settlements in the Dakota Territory," he smiles peacefully, "I can see Annie. She is standing by the foot of my bed beckoning me. It is time for me to go with her."

"How did you die, Edward?"

"Tuberculosis."

"What is the last thought you have before you die?"

"She is happy. I am happy, too."

"What happens next?"

"Annie takes my hand. We begin to walk. I look back at my body, and I don't care that I'm leaving it. We walk through the wall, and there is a bright light. I am home."

"Edward, I want you to come back through the doorway to that world. Back down the hall, into the light. I am going to ask you some questions and your guides will give you the answers."

"Okay."

"What was the lesson that you were supposed to learn in that lifetime?"

"Self control."

"And did you learn that lesson?"

"Eventually, yes."

"What are you supposed to learn in this life?"

"Happiness." Bella is surprised when he says that. That is her lesson, also.

"Is there anyone in that lifetime that you know in this lifetime?'

"Yes. Annie is here. She is Bella. Bella is Annie."

"Who else do you know?"

"Black," he sneers the name, again, "and I knew him another time...it's James." Bella sucked in her breath, hoping they would be able to solve a piece of the puzzle.

"Who is Mr. Black?"

Edward paused, his brow furrowed as he concentrated, "no…it can't be…" He stopped.

Dr. Volturi prodded him, "Edward, we need to know who this is. It was James, was it also Ananawei's father?"

"Yes."

"And you know that person in this life?"

"Yes."

"Who is it?"

"I don't want to say…it has to be a mistake."

"Say it. For Bella's safety."

Those words got through to him, "Victoria," he whispered. Bella's eyes widened and her jaw dropped open. Victoria? As he spoke her name, conviction washed through Bella and she knew he was right. That was the name that she kept getting stuck on at this point in both of her regressions. But that conviction was quickly chased away by fear. Was she going to try to kill her again?

Dr. Volturi looked at Bella, "you know who that is?" She simply nodded, not wanting to interrupt Edward's trance.

"Edward, we are going to continue. Is there anyone is that life who needs to forgive you? If so, call them forward now."

"Annie. Here she comes. She still looks beautiful. Annie, please forgive me. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to do something to save you. Please forgive me for not saving you," there was a pause. Edwards face relaxed into a smile, "she says I wasn't supposed to kill him. His judgment was given by God. She knew I cared and everything happened the way it was supposed to. She forgives me."

"Edward, is there anyone else?"

"Black," Dr. Volturi waited, he spoke again, "please forgive me for my anger towards you and my love for your wife." he paused, "he didn't say anything, but he nodded and he's going back into the mist."

"Is there anyone that you need to forgive?"

There was a long pause, then Edward said, "I don't know, I don't think so."

Dr. Volturi brought Edward from the light, back into his current spoke in the bicycle wheel. She had him remembering ages, and then he woke up. He sat for a moment, experiencing the amazement and wonder that Bella had experienced after her two regressions. His eyes were wide, his face open. The wonder was plain on his face. Bella knew exactly how he felt.

Dr. Volturi gave him a moment, then spoke very seriously, "I'm afraid we found the pattern." Edward looked at her, blankly. He knew what she was talking about, but didn't want to voice his fears.

"In every life," she explained, "Bella has been murdered for one reason or another. In each life her murderer was the same person."

Edward's expression was aghast, "does that mean Victoria is going to try to kill her in this life too? Or is Bella destined to kill her in order to break the pattern?"

Bella was just as appalled, "I can't do that." She protested.

Dr. Volturi halted Bella's anxiety, "now I don't want you to get upset. There are many ways this can go. She may unconsciously choose to break the pattern by herself. Most people don't just go around killing people these days. And by not taking revenge for your past lives, Bella, that will free you both from the pattern. It might help for Victoria to have a few sessions with me."

Edward laughed harshly, "no, we'll never get Victoria here. She's way too logical and level headed to believe in past lives. She doesn't believe in soul mates, or love at first sight or anything of the sort."

Dr. Volturi looked uncomfortable, "do you mind if I ask who Victoria is in this lifetime?"

Edward answered simply, "my ex."

Understanding washed across Dr. Volturi's face, "Oh, I see. You don't think she's volatile or unstable, do you?"

Immediately, Edward said, "no, no, of course not."

"Except that she's slightly stalking you," Bella reminded him.

Dr. Volturi looked at Edward curiously, "she's been calling constantly," he told her, "I'm thinking about changing my number."

Concern crossed her face briefly, before she spoke, "Everything is going to be fine. But I'd just be extra careful for awhile, okay?"

Edward looked at Bella, resolution in his eyes, and she wondered what he was thinking, "we'll be careful," he told Dr. Volturi firmly without looking away from Bella, "extremely careful."

This time it was Edward's turn to be quiet and Bella's turn to ask if he was all right. He turned towards her as he drove and smiled apologetically, but she could see that his eyes were cautious, "I'm fine. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to keep you safe."

Bella tried to laugh, to sound unaffected, "I'll be fine, silly."

He also tried to sound unaffected, but they both failed miserably, "Bella, there's a pattern. You were told how many times that you need to break it?"

"I seriously don't think Victoria is going to kill me though, do you?"

"Maybe not intentionally. But what if you have a car accident and you die? She could be driving the other car. Mistakes and accidents happen all the time."

Bella nodded, "but how do we make sure an accident or mistake doesn't happen, I mean, that's why they're called mistakes."

Edward sighed, "I don't know. Maybe we just need to talk to Victoria and see exactly what her intentions are in calling me all the time."

"Maybe you should go to her house after work on Monday and talk to her. Maybe you can convince her more effectively if you are face to face with her."

He nodded, "and you wouldn't be nervous about me going over there?" He had just pulled in the driveway at this time, and he was shutting off the engine.

"Hey, as long as you're coming home to me, I'm fine with it." The truth was, Bella was a little nervous, but it was simply for his safety.

Edward leaned across the seat to kiss her gently, "always. I'll always come home to you."

"I know," she tried to be good while they were discussing important matters, but she couldn't help herself with his face so close to hers. The heat from his body reached out to her the way it always did when they were close, "I think we need to go inside," Bella whispered and put her lips on his again.

He caught her mood and laughed, "we've created a monster!" but he quickly took the keys out of the ignition and opened his door. Bella met him in front of the car and he put his arm around her shoulders as he walked to the house. Bella stepped forward and up two of the front steps ahead of him, then turned to look him in the eye.

Bella put her hands on Edward's shoulders, stopping him from moving up the steps. She was suddenly struck with the need to get something across to him, to make him understand. She looked him directly in the eye, "I love you. You know that, right? No matter what?"

His forehead creased, "of course. I love you too. What's wrong?"

"I just need to make sure you understand that no matter what, that won't change." Bella only realized she was frowning when Edward put his finger on the side of her mouth and tried to push it up.

"It's going to be fine. We're going to be okay," he seemed confident about this, and his confidence made Bella feel a little better.

XXXXX

Monday came quickly again, and it was after six before Bella remembered that Edward was going to be late that night. She had spent the first part of the day writing, but then spent the afternoon cleaning, since she had been neglecting so much with Edward around. She was thinking of what to make for supper and wondering why Edward wasn't home yet, when she remembered that this was the night he was going to Victoria's.

Bella decided to just make a casserole, since it would be easy to heat up no matter what time he got home. As she assembled the ingredients, she caught myself looking at the clock repeatedly. She must have looked a hundred times by six-thirty, but even Bella knew he would probably be longer than a half-hour. She wasn't worried that Victoria would be able to win him back, Bella already knew that their relationship was too strong for that. She was worried that Victoria would do something to harm him. Maybe the pattern wasn't that her past selves were killing Bella's past selves. Maybe the pattern was that she was keeping Edward and Bella apart.

She had put the casserole in the oven, and was putting the last load of folded laundry in her dresser, when she caught sight of the picture Gram had given her. "Some things are so strong that not even death can stop them" ran through Bella's mind. Instantly, her fears were put to rest.

"If there is any way possible, please protect him tonight, Gram," Bella asked the picture. She didn't feel ridiculous making this request out loud. She already knew that Gram still existed somewhere. Bella had seen her.

Bella was in the bathroom, washing the toothpaste splatters from the mirror, when she heard the door open and Edward walk in, stomping his boots to get the snow off, "honey, I'm home," he called good naturedly.

Relief washed through her and she dropped the sponge in the sink as she rushed out of the bathroom. She grabbed him and hugged him tightly, betraying the calm demeanor that she had wanted to exhibit, "I'm glad. How'd it go?" Bella made her voice lighter as she turned and pulled the casserole out of the oven, where it was staying warm. She noticed that the clock on the stove said seven thirty-three.

Edward let out a sigh and fell into a kitchen chair, "it was exhausting. I knew when I called her that she would think I was calling to get back together with her. I told her that wasn't the case, but when I showed up at her house, she had it all decked out with a gourmet meal and candles…the whole bit."

Bella looked at her meager casserole and sighed, "I'm feeling insignificant…"

As she sat the casserole on the table, Edward grabbed her hand and sat her on his knee. She wrapped her arm around his neck, "I would rather eat worms in a cave if it meant I could be with you," he reassured her.

She smiled and kissed him, "thank you. So what else happened?"

"I blew out the candles, ignored the food, and reminded her that I said I wasn't going to come back to her."

"And?" Bella prompted.

"I didn't tell her anything about a past life or anything. I told her that we are through and that she needs to stop calling me. I told her that there is someone out there that she is meant to be with, and it's not me, and that she's not going to find him if she's hanging on to me."

Bella had laid her cheek on the top of his head while he was talking, "you know just what to say."

"Then she argued with me for awhile, telling me how happy we used to be. She tried telling me that she thought she was pregnant, too. I called her on that one, and she admitted that she wasn't. Then she figured out there was someone else."

"Did you admit it?"

"Of course. She asked if it was that woman we saw at the grocery store. When I told her yes, she asked how long I'd been seeing you. She thought we were sleeping together when we saw you before Thanksgiving."

"What did you tell her?"

"I explained that I only started seeing you after I left her, but I don't know if she bought it. She was kind of angry for a while, but I think I convinced her that you didn't come between us. That her and I should have broken up a long time ago. She agreed, but I can't tell if she meant it."

Bella tightened her arms around his neck, "I feel bad for her. I can't even imagine what it would be like to hear you say those words to me."

His arms tightened, too, "don't worry baby, you won't ever have to hear them!" Then he loosened his hold, "let's eat."

She reluctantly slid into her own chair. His lap was preferable, but it would have been difficult to eat that way. As it was, he ate one handed, the way Jake had in her dream, holding Bella's hand. The casserole may not have been a seven course gourmet meal eaten by candlelight, but being there together made it almost as good. And afterward, they cleaned up the kitchen together, the way they always did.

"So what do you have planned for tomorrow," Edward asked casually, as he was drying a plate that Bella had just handed to him. The way he asked it almost made him sound suspicious.

"I have a little more research I need to do. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering if you would want to go out on some calls with me…" He sounded too innocent, so Bella stopped washing and turned to look at him.

"Why?"

Under her scrutinizing gaze, he let out a noisy breath and gave in, "I just don't like the idea of you being here alone all day. I was out of my mind with worry all day long."

Bella was a little bit offended. She had been on her own for years now, and she didn't like being treated like a child, "I got along just fine before I met you, Edward. I don't think anything will happen."

"Yes, but before we met, we didn't have fate trying to keep us apart."

"Now fate's trying to keep us apart? Don't you think that's just a little dramatic? It would be more realistic to give it a name. I am more likely to believe that it's Victoria that would be trying to keep us apart."

That caught him off guard, "no, I don't think she'd try anything," he muttered, but he sounded unsure.

Bella drained the water out of the sink and turned to face him straight on as she dried her hands, "so if she's not going to try anything, why are you so worried about me being here alone?"

Edward didn't say anything for a moment, he simply looked at her. After awhile, he kissed her forehead and put his arms around her shoulders, "I'm sorry, you're probably right. I just have this _feeling_. I can't explain it… Are you mad that I'm treating you like a kid?"

Bella nodded, "I was, but not anymore, since you apologized."

"Alright, you don't have to go to work with me, just do me a favor?"

"Anything…well, almost anything," Bella amended.

"Will you keep your doors locked? And try to stay alert? I know you get sucked in while you're writing and everything else disappears…just try to be aware of what's going on around you?"

"I can do that…don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Bella took a hold of his right hand, and pulled him behind herself to the living room, "but for now, I need some Edward time. I missed out on a whole hour and a half with you."

He laughed, his worries eased, at least a little bit, and let Bella push him down on the couch and curl up next to him. With his strong arms around her, it seemed crazy for Bella to think that anything or anyone out there could hurt her. She silently hoped as they sat there flipping through the channels, that if anything were going to happen, that it would happen when Edward was with her. She hoped that he could be with her when she had to figure out how to break her pattern.

"Speaking of work tomorrow," Edward mentioned to Bella after they were in bed, "did I tell you that I don't have any calls until 10:30? My supervisor said I didn't have to come in to the office in the morning if I didn't want to. So we can sleep in. Want me to make you breakfast in the morning?"

Bella curled up in the arms that he held out for her, suddenly looking forward to the morning, "will you make me your extra special southwestern omelet?"

"Do we have sour cream?"

"I think so…" she tried to remember.

"Oh well, even if we don't, I'll make it for you," they were laying on their sides, wrapped tightly together, and he kissed her nose, "it'll still be good."

Bella smiled, but was starting to drift off to sleep already, because when she heard him whisper, "I love you," it sounded very far away.

They slept in a little later than usual, but Bella didn't want to sleep too long and waste the morning that she had with Edward, so when the alarm went off, she wrenched her eyes open and threw herself on to of him.

"Time to wake up, honey," she sang as she straddled his sleeping form, on her hands and knees, and planted kisses all over his face and neck.

Watching his eyes fly open in shock was comical, but he quickly recovered, grabbing her waist and throwing her to the side, switching positions with her. Bella suddenly found herself on the receiving end of the kissing and squealed in mock protest, but really, she didn't mind. Edward ran his hand from her waist up her ribs to cup her breast and at the same time bit her shoulder lightly.

Bella moaned loudly, but not loud enough to mask her stomach growling, and Edward stopped suddenly, an eyebrow raised, "Ready for your extra special southwestern omelet?"

Bella pouted, "I'm ready for something, but it's not food."

Edward laughed, his eyes crinkling around the edges, "let's eat, then we can pick this up in the shower," he replied in a low voice.

He let her up, somewhat reluctantly, and they set about making breakfast. His omelet didn't flip very well, so it ended up being an extra special southwestern scramble, but they didn't notice. Edward was in the middle of a sentence as they sat at the table, when something over Bella's shoulder caught his attention. He furrowed his eyebrows, and stood up, trying to see out the window.

"What was that?" he wondered out loud.

"Did you see something?" Bella asked him.

"I'm not sure," he had the blinds pulled all the way up by this time, and was peering to the left and right, but Bella didn't think there was anything to see but snow, "it looked like something just went past the window. I couldn't tell, though, it was only out of the corner of my eye"

"Huh, I though I saw that once last week. Did it look like it was on the outside?"

Edward turned his attention to her, and let the blinds drop unevenly back into place, "you saw it too?"

"It was windy that day. I just figured it was something blowing past the window," she shrugged.

Edward was about to say something when a loud bang issued from the east side of the house. It was the kind of sound a metal ladder would make if someone let it drop against the side of the house. Edward shoved his feet into his work boots and without tying them, was out the door. Bella ran into her bedroom and opened her east window, but other than a black bird in a tree nearby, the yard was quiet this morning. No ladder, nothing that could have made that noise. Edward had already run past that window and was heading around the back of the house, so Bella went back to the front door to open it for him. She waited outside on the step as he came around the west side. Having seen nothing out of the ordinary, he had slowed to a walk. March had come in like a lion, and the wind had made his cheeks red and Bella could see his breath. In his haste, he hadn't bothered with his jacket, so she quickly moved to the side to let him into the warm house.

"What could that have been?" Bella wondered out loud to him as he pushed a boot off with the opposite toe.

He was deep in thought, "I can't imagine…there was nothing out there at all. It sounded like someone hit the side of the house with something…"

"My eaves didn't fall off or anything, did they? They're not in the best shape and, they'll need to be replaced here in the next couple of years."

He shook his head, "no, I didn't even see them hanging against the house or anything." Edward absent-mindedly took his plate to the sink. Bella could tell he was concerned.

The idea of staying here alone for the rest of the day suddenly didn't appeal to Bella, so she decided to make Edward just a little less worried and volunteered to ride along with him on his calls that afternoon.

The relief on his face was marked, "that's a really good idea. I didn't want to leave you alone here in the first place, but now with strange things walking past your window and weird noises that we can't explain…" he trailed off, "I was thinking about calling in."

She rolled her eyes in an effort to appear nonchalant, "don't do that. I'll go with you today. I have a car charger for my laptop. I'll take that and spend the day writing."

The worry and concern had left Edward's face almost completely by now, and he was back to his playful self. He grabbed her plate off the table and put it in the sink with his, then spun around and surprised her with a quick kiss, "okay, let's go shower. We'll have to leave in about forty minutes."

Bella had initially thought that she was going to be so bored, riding along with Edward on his job, that she wouldn't be able to think straight, but surprisingly, that wasn't the case. She sat in the van with the motor running while he was in so-and-so's house, fixing a furnace here, a hot water heater, there, and was able to get a little ways on her book. He didn't take more than an hour and a half in any one house and the fact that she didn't have to wait until almost six in the evening to see him was a bonus that she hadn't considered. Bella had secretly been working on a new book about a couple that had been traveling through time trying to be together. It was sort of based on herself and Edward, and she was going to surprise him with a partial draft sometime soon.

He had finished with his last call at five fifteen and kissed her after climbing back in his van, "I like you being here with me. I might be able to get used to it. You weren't too bored, though, were you?"

Bella smiled, "no, not too bored. I did the same thing I would have been doing at home, except I wasn't able to get up and get a cup of coffee or use the bathroom whenever I needed a break."

Laughing, he replied, "I'm sorry about that part. Do you want to stop somewhere for dinner?"

Bella's stomach had been growling for the last half hour, "sure, I'm hungry. Do you know what I was thinking back there, when you were walking out of that last person's house?"

"No, what?"

"Well, the woman stood in the doorway and watched you until you got in the van, and it reminded me of when you came to my house that first day…and that second day…"

"Well, I won't be going back to her house looking for a wrench. Her son was driving me crazy the whole time I was in there!" He laughed as he pulled into an empty parking spot at the Diner.

The restaurant wasn't busy with the dinner rush yet, and as the hostess led them to a table, Bella noticed that the few people already seated, along with a waitress stared at them.

"Why is everyone looking at us?" She whispered to Edward.

He hadn't noticed and Bella saw him look around as he slid into his side of the booth. The hostess informed them that a waitress would be right with them, smiled, and left.

"They were probably looking at you because you're so beautiful…" he told Bella, sincerely. She rolled her eyes.

The waitress took their drink orders, then returned a few minutes later for their food orders. As they waited, they talked and Edward held Bella's hand on top of the table. Her back was to the door, so Bella didn't see her until it was too late. Edward and Bella were in the middle of a discussion about going back to Dr. Volturi, when Edward's face turned white, and Bella heard him mutter "oh, great" under his breath. Just then, Victoria walked boldly up to their table, with that same friend from Macy's standing just behind her. The friend reminded Bella of a shadow. She was always just behind Victoria and she never said anything. Bella tried to pull her hand away from Edward's, but he held it tightly and kept them on top of the table, where Victoria could see them.

She smiled sweetly at him, "Edward!" she exclaimed, her surprise just a little too genuine to be real, "I didn't know you were here! It's so good to see you again. I was so glad you came over on Monday evening," Bella figured that Victoria was hoping that Edward hadn't told her where he was on Monday, thus causing a fight, but as Victoria spoke, her eyes flickered back and forth between his face and their hands.

He didn't answer her, but only nodded, meeting her gaze for only a fraction of a second before looking back at Bella. Victoria followed Edward's eyes, and immediately Bella could see that Victoria found it difficult to even look at her, much less be civil, "you…must be Bella. It's…nice…to meet you," she all but spat through her teeth.

Luckily, Edward was holding Bella's left hand, so she thrust her right hand towards Victoria, "I'm glad to meet you, too," Bella told her warmly, then she added, just to show that she could be civil, "that's a beautiful scarf." Out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw Edward's lips pressed together in a line, trying not to laugh.

Victoria was still having a hard time keeping her eyes off of Bella and Edward's hands. She nodded sharply, "thank you", she replied. That must have used up all of her warmth for the day, because she was suddenly starring daggers into Bella. Her blue eyes were colder than any she had ever seen before, and Bella realized, that without a doubt, she would have to beware of Victoria. She wasn't ready to let Edward go, and she hated Bella with a fiery passion that could be dangerous if she wasn't a stable person.

With a great deal of effort, she turned back to Edward, "well I hope to see you again, soon." And with that she moved on, around a partition to another table with her friend, the shadow, following her.

Edward exhaled in a puff when she was gone, "I'm sorry about that," he apologized.

Bella frowned, "what are you apologizing for? You didn't know she would be here."

"No," he explained, "but all that business about 'I'm glad you came over', and 'hope to see you again' was uncalled for."

Bella tried to be objective, "she's still grieving." Then she shrugged, "I wasn't offended, I'm the winner, remember?"

He smiled and kissed the hand he had been holding, "and what's with trying to pull your hand away?"

She looked around, to see if Victoria could see them from where she was sitting, but Bella saw no sign of her, "I didn't want to bother her any more than absolutely necessary."

"That's nice of you, but she needs to realized that there is no possibility that I will come back to her."

Bella had a thought, "do you think she followed us here?"

Edward frowned, "I wouldn't think so, why?"

"I can't really explain it, but when she was looking at me, after I shook her hand, her eyes looked so cold and dead, that I could easily imagine her planning something…not nice." Bella remembered that stare, and shivered, "also when she was gushing about how surprised she was to see you here, she sounded really fake."

Their food was delivered then, and the conversation drifted to less serious matters. Edward asked her what she wanted for her birthday that was coming up on Thursday.

Bella shrugged, "I don't need anything as long as I have you," she teased. This time it was his turn to roll his eyes. She hoped he wasn't planning anything extravagant. It was kind of sappy, but she liked homemade gifts best.

He cocked his head as he looked at her, "I think I have an idea. But don't ask for any hints, because I won't give you any."

Bella ran her foot up his leg under the table, "I bet I could get you to give me a hint…"

Edwards' eyes narrowed, and he pretended to be menacing, "nope, do what you will, I won't tell!"

Bella took the last sip of her diet coke and pushed her plate away, "good. I like surprises anyways."

XXXXX

**Well, it's about time, you two!**

**What is Edward going to get her for her birthday? Any ideas?**

**Okay, my rec for this week: "So Be It" by SophiaAnne. This is a short 5 chapter story that I really liked! There aren't too many stories that I'll go back and read more than once, but I have read this one several times.**

**It's time, dearests, please read and review...you know what to do...please? **

**Shout outs to Tulane, for being my most faithful reviewer! Thanks for your support!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow, I can't believe this story is almost done already! Only one chapter and one epilogue after this one! **

**Shout outs to NeviaAnn, my most enthusiastic reviewer! Your reviews always make my day! **

**Of course, I do not own Twilight. That extreme honor goes to Ms. Stephenie Meyer. I only own those four books that my hubby can't stand!**

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Bella managed to convince Edward that she would be okay alone for the next few days. She wanted to get as far as possible on her new book before her birthday, when she was planning on surprising him with it, and she promised him that she would take the laptop to Rose's house and work on it up there. Rose was back to working evenings, so she would be there with Bella most of the day. Bella did feel slightly offended, but she just reminded herself that he was only concerned for her safety and she knew that she would act the same way if the situation were reversed.

Wednesday morning, Bella brewed a pot of coffee in Rose's coffee pot, and turned her laptop on as Rose sat across the table and slurped a bowl of cereal.

"Soooo," Rose began, between crunches, "how's things?"

Bella knew what Rose was referring to, so she simply answered, "great."

"What have you guys been up to? I don't see much of you any more."

Bella smiled. She knew Rose was fishing for some dirt, "we went to the Diner yesterday for dinner and Edward's ex, Victoria, was there," Bella got a chill, remembering how Victoria had seemingly tried to murder her with just a look from her cold, dark eyes, "she is seriously obsessed with him…not that I can blame her."

Rose snorted, "he sort of brings that out in people, doesn't he?"

Bella shook her head, remembering how she had thought about him constantly for weeks on end, even though she had barely talked to the man, "I know…but I don't think I would be so…so…weird about it."

"Weird how?"

"We were sitting there in a booth, and she just walks right up with her prissy little friend and just starts gushing to Edward, 'oh Edward, I'm so glad to see you,' and 'oh Edward, I was so happy that you came over on Monday night…'" Bella spoke through her nose in a poor imitation of Victoria, "I could tell she was trying to get us into a fight. Luckily, he tells me everything."

Rose shook her head, "did she speak to you?"

"She tried. She said it was nice to meet me, but she could barely get the words out. The woman hates me with a passion. But again, I can't blame her. Oh, and Edward was holding my hand on top of the table like this," Bella stretched out her arm and put her hand out as it had been the previous evening, "and when she showed up, Edward didn't move his hand at all. He said she needed to realize that they were really through, but I still felt a little bad for her. She couldn't take her eyes off our hands for more than two seconds." Just then Bella's phone rang. She had set it right next to her computer, and she answered it, holding one finger up to Rose, to let her know that she would finish her thought in a second.

"Hello?" There was no answer, so Bella flipped it shut again.

"Who was that?" Rose wanted to know.

"I don't know. It's just someone who calls, then doesn't say anything when I answer. It started last week and had been fairly quiet over the weekend, but had started up again on Monday. Yesterday wasn't bad…." Bella trailed off as she recounted the strange phone calls for Rose, "you know, it seems like it's worse when I'm not with Edward, and when he's around, they don't call as much…"

Rose raised an eyebrow, "maybe Victoria's stalking _you_."

Bella shuddered, "the way she looked at me just really creeped me out yesterday. You know, I've been thinking about changing my cell number. Maybe I'll call and do that now."

Bella sent a quick text to Edward to let him know that she was about to call customer service and change her number. But almost as soon as she hit send, the phone rang again. This time, the caller ID told her who it was.

"What's going on?" Edward wanted to know immediately.

"Those calls have been starting up again. You don't think it's…Victoria, do you? As she said the name, she looked at Rose, who nodded.

"Do you?" Edward wanted to believe the best about Victoria, but he saw the way she had looked at Bella yesterday, coupled with the belief that she was destined to continue a pattern that would end badly for Bella, and he was beginning to have his doubts.

"I don't know," Bella told him honestly, "I know that when she stared at me yesterday, I felt an awful chill go through me. I have never felt so much hatred coming off of any particular person, before."

He was quiet on the other end of the phone, and Bella could hear his van's engine in the background, "I know," he finally admitted, "I could see how she hates you."

"So I'll just change my number right now, then whoever it is will be out of luck, right?"

Edward agreed, "and when I get home, I'll call and change mine."

"Sounds like a plan. Are you going to have a busy day?"

"It won't be too bad, as long as the jobs don't take too long. I should be home by five thirty."

Bella was sure he could hear the smile in her voice, "okay. I'll see you then. Love you."

"Love you too. Please be careful," he begged.

"I will, I promise." As Bella hung up the phone, she saw Rose staring at her, "what?" Bella asked.

"So are you still making him "take it slow?" She raised her hands and made quotations in the air.

Bella blushed, "no. That's out the window."

"Ha! I knew you'd cave!" She exclaimed.

"It wasn't so much about caving. I could have held out if I'd wanted to, I think. It's just that…well you remember me telling you about my regression where I remembered being Marie, right?" She nodded, "I remembered _everything_ from her life. Not just bits and pieces. I remembered everything as if I was living the life today. I still do. And I realized that Edward and I had been waiting hundreds of years to be together. When we were Marie and Jake we _were _together. When I came home that night, I felt like we were still the same people, and that I really had been away from him for a hundred years. It was overwhelming. I needed him…does that make sense?"

Rose shook her head and sighed, "I want to meet _my_ Jake," she cried, and Bella laughed at the fake whine she put into her voice.

"Do you want to have a few sessions with Dr. Volturi? Maybe that will point you in the right direction of where to look."

She was instantly animated, "do you think?"

"Wait a minute…weren't you Miss Skeptical about it at first?"

Rose back tracked a little, "well, yeah, but you're kind of proving it to me…I guess….so, what are you guys doing for your birthday?" She was ready for a change of subject.

Bella turned the computer towards her as she got up to fill her coffee mug, and told her about the new book she was working on. Bella silently walked to the wall of pictures that Gram always had hanging over the upright piano while Rose read the first few chapters. She was glad Rose hadn't taken the pictures down.

"You're writing him a book, and you're giving it to him on _your_ birthday? That's pretty hard to beat."

"I don't know that I'll give it to him on my birthday. If a miracle happens and I get the whole first draft done, I will."

"Still, he better come up with something good."

Bella rolled her eyes as she pulled the laptop back in front of her, "knowing him, I'm sure it'll be something either outrageously expensive or outrageously romantic. I'm hoping for the latter."

Rose decided it was time to shower, "why can't it be both?" she asked as she got up.

Bella shook her head at her cousin and opened her phone. She called customer service to change her number, typing as she waited, because they had put her on hold. As soon as she was done, she sent her new number in a text to anyone who mattered, she would call the rest later, and turned her attention to her book. Bella was able to put the outside world out of her mind for a few hours, and her hands flew furiously across the keyboard. Rose was sitting at the table, too, with her laptop, working on a homework assignment for her class. Once, she commented on the speed that Bella was typing, saying she was surprised that Bella wasn't done with the book yet, but other than that they sat comfortably together in silence. At four o'clock, Rose announced it was time to get ready for work. Bella had gotten a good way through the book, and was at a decent stopping point, so she decided when she got home, she would print up what she had so far.

Bella had the partial book printed and dinner started when Edward got home. He had a plastic bag in his hand, which he sat on the floor next to his boots. Bella didn't ask what was in it, thinking it had to do with her surprise. Immediately, he sat at the table and called to change his number. He didn't have to wait as long as Bella had.

As soon as he was done, he went over to the stove where she was stirring the beef stew, and took her hand. He led her to the table and sat her in a chair.

"I got something for you today," he told her as he picked up the bag.

"My birthday isn't until tomorrow," Bella reminded him.

He smiled, "I know. This isn't your gift." Out of the bag he took a metal rectangular case and set it on the table in front of Bella. It was about 8 inches by 12 inches with a lock on one side. Edward fished a key out of his pocket and was about to hand it to her, but first he said, "I don't know how you'll feel about this. I was arguing with myself all the way home, but I'll feel better knowing you have this with you. I'll teach you how to use it and everything. As long as we're smart about this, it doesn't have to be dangerous."

Dangerous? What was he talking about, Bella wondered? She took the key from him and unlocked the case. She lifted up the cover, then slammed it down again.

"A gun? Edward, are you out of your mind? I don't want this in my house! Seriously, you need to take this back to wherever you got it, tonight!"

At first, he didn't say anything. He just sat in the chair next to Bella and kneaded his forehead with his fingertips. Without looking at her, he said, "Bell, please. Please, just keep this near you…for me," he lifted his eyes to Bella's, and they were desperate, pleading, "just let me show you how to use it, then you don't even have to take it out of the case. But I just want you to be safe when I can't be with you." His voice cracked at the end of his supplication and her anger drained away.

"Fine. But I am keeping in the case. You don't need to teach me how to use it because I _am_ the daughter of a police chief, remember? And as soon as the danger has passed, we're getting rid of it, is that clear?"

Relief washed over him, and he picked up her hand to kiss it, "thank you," he sighed, "I'm coming home early tomorrow, and we can practice tomorrow afternoon. I have some targets that we can put up on that tree out back."

Bella let the part about target practice go over her head, and concentrated on the important part, "you're coming home early?'

"Of course. I've got something special planned, and I don't want to have to rush around."

Bella looked at him, "I hope you didn't spend a lot."

Smiling sweetly, Edward replied, "not yet."

"Don't," she warned, but Bella knew that he already had his mind made up, and that any warning she could give would fall on deaf ears.

Thursday morning couldn't go fast enough. As soon as Edward left, Bella cleaned the house and folded all the laundry that she had been neglecting. She sort of forgot about everything else whenever she was around him. She was walking into the house from getting the mail when Edward's van drove past her into the driveway. She waited for him in the doorway, still noticing her reaction whenever he smiled. Although the day was frigid, she was warm as he kissed her for a moment on the front step.

"Happy Birthday," he murmured against her lips.

"Mmm, thank you. I'm glad you're home."

He was opening the door behind her, and he pushed her backwards through the doorway without breaking his hold, "me too. Are you ready for your surprise?"

Bella was instantly intrigued, "yes."

"Too bad," he teased, "you have to wait for tonight."

She groaned and smacked him on the shoulder, "you're mean."

Edward chuckled and pulled his shirt over his head as he walked to the bathroom to take a shower. Bella watched him depart into the bathroom and for one second, she considered joining him, but decided against it. She didn't want to get something started and make him completely forget all about their plans for later.

They were almost to their destination when Bella realized where they were going. It was the same restaurant where they had had that very consequential of conversations on the night before her grandmother's funeral. Edward parked by the curb and took her in the side entrance, directly to the bar, where he led her to the same table as that first night. Again, he helped Bella out of her coat then held the chair for her, a nice little smile on his lips all the while.

A different waitress from the one they'd had before asked them for their drink orders. Bud Lights again. Bella was looking at a menu, but felt Edward's eyes on her, so she glanced at him. He grinned.

"Déjà vu yet?"

"Yes, but I know why, this time."

"Do you know what you want to eat?"

"Not yet…maybe the manicotti?"

Edward smiled again and looked back at his menu. She stared at him this time, while he studied his menu. Sometimes when she looked at him, she had a hard time looking away. She studied his expression, glancing back and forth between her menu and his face. He hadn't stopped smiling since he got home this afternoon, including during her target practice. Right after his shower, he made her bundle up in her coat and boots, then he took her out back, and after tacking a poster size piece of paper with the outline of a person onto a tree, proceeded to explain all the parts of the gun, the safety, the trigger, how to load and unload it, and finally how to point and shoot. She listened patiently, even though Charlie had made sure she was familiar with guns by the time she was twelve years old. Edward thought it was hilarious when Bella had asked during which lifetime he had become a gun expert. She noticed, though, that he didn't answer. Bella thought she did pretty well. After the first few rounds, there was a hole in the head when she aimed for the head, and some holes near the chest when she aimed there, too. And shooting it hadn't been as awful as Bella had predicted. It felt like she had released some frustration during her practice. Edward was impressed too, and Bella joked that she was Wyatt Earp in one of her lives. He laughed and said that he must have been Josephine. But she still hated having it near and couldn't wait until he felt that it was safe enough to return it to wherever he had gotten it from.

That little grin however, had never once disappeared from his face. Bella finally asked him about it, "Edward, what is with that smile? You've been smiling since this afternoon."

He thought for a moment, "I've just been thinking about you firing that gun…sexy. Very sexy," there was a slight blush and Bella knew he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"No, you've been smiling since you got home this afternoon,"

Edward's smile morphed from a cute little grin to a full blown smile, lighting up his whole face. But at that moment, the waitress walked up for their orders. Manicotti for Bella, mushroom swiss burger for Edward, 'okay, get out of here,' Bella thought towards the waitress. She locked her eyes on the waitress' face as she took Edward's order, willing her to go faster.

Looking back at Bella as the waitress walked away, Edward took a deep breath to say something. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Although he was still smiling, he suddenly seemed nervous. He had both hands in his lap and was looking over Bella's shoulder. His eyes moved along the wall behind her over to the bar, then to the table in between them, and it looked like he was studying the beer bottle in front of him. He grabbed the bottle with one hand and threw back a drink, then placed the hand back in his lap.

Bella watched all this with a frown on my face, "what is wrong with you?" She asked.

He stared at her before he answered, "I have a gift for you. But I don't know if you'll want it yet or how you'll take it, or if you'll even like it."

He was afraid to give her a gift? "Is it another gun?"

That must have broken a little of his tension, because he laughed, "no, it's not another gun."

"Then you should be fine. Whatever it is, Edward, I'm sure I'll love it because it's from you."

"It's not just from me. I'll explain all that afterward."

Bella waited patiently, looking at him, trying to figure out the reason for his nervous demeanor. He gazed back, the same little smile settling back on his lips.

"I knew," he began quietly, "from the first time I…dreamed…about you, that you were special. And after I finally met you, I knew that I would never be able to stay away from you. I've been waiting lifetimes to be with you…literally. And I'll wait a thousand more, if that's what I have to do." He paused again, for a short length of time, then he brought both his hands on top of the table, "but I'm hoping I won't have to wait that long…"

He trailed off, and Bella thought he said something else, but she couldn't be sure. Every bit of her attention was focused on a tiny, delicate object held firmly between his two thumbs and forefingers. It had a thin silver band, and two rows of tiny diamonds meeting in the middle to cradle a larger, round, diamond. It was a little old fashioned, but it was extremely beautiful, so beautiful it made her breath catch in her throat. And it seemed familiar. She knew she had seen it before. In this lifetime.

Bella was quiet for a long time. So long that Edward began to get worried. She stared at the diamond engagement ring, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw his smile disappear slightly, and his eyebrows rise up in the middle. She finally found her voice, "Edward…are you asking me…to…marry you?"

"Will you? It doesn't have to be soon. Whenever you want," he spoke quickly, his voice pleading.

"But we've only been together for a month."

His sense of humor surfaced, despite his worry, "are you sure?"

Bella smiled, thawing out a little. She looked away from the ring in his outstretched fingers to his face. It was an angel's face. As sweet and innocent as a child, yet etched with such emotion, that he might have been an old man. All her doubts drained away, and at that moment, she realized that this was what she was supposed to do, that marrying him was absolutely the right thing to do. She looked into his wide green eyes…the eyes that she had loved since the first moment she saw them, and knew that she wanted to see them until she was old and gray. She wanted them to be the first thing she saw in the morning, and the last thing she saw at night. And when she left this earth, those eyes were the last things she wanted to see.

Bella didn't speak at first, but pressing her lips together to keep from crying, she nodded her head, "yes," she finally whispered, "I have to marry you." And she knew that she never had a choice. She never wanted one.

Suddenly, Edward's face was lit up. His smile stretched across his face, all the way to his eyes, which were brimming with unshed tears. Without a moment of hesitation, he slid the ring onto her left hand, then stood and leaned over the table to kiss Bella, grasping the back of her neck, tightly, "thank you," he whispered, his face just an inch from hers, "I love you."

Bella giggled, "I love you too."

She kissed him again, quickly before he sat down, and sat looking at the diamond on her hand. She liked it there. It seemed just right. Edward held his hand out for hers, and she gave it to him.

They were quiet until the waitress came with our order. There were no words to for the emotions that they felt right then. 'I love you' seemed horrendously inadequate, so they sat without speaking, their smiles saying it all.

"Congratulations," the waitress was setting their plates down in front of them. At first, Bella wondered how she knew, then realized that she only had one other table besides theirs and had probably watched the whole thing.

"Thank you," Bella replied. Edward still seemed beyond words and nodded in her direction.

They ate for a while, trying to fill the silence with small talk.

"So you're telling me you had no idea at all?" He asked, incredulously.

Bella shook her head, "not at all. Isn't that how you wanted it?"

He smiled and seemed to forget his food, "are you ready to get out of here?" he asked abruptly.

"You know what? I am," Bella agreed, suddenly not hungry. She couldn't wait to go home and be alone with him. The waitress brought them a 'to go' box for their food, and while Bella was packing it up, Edward paid the bill at the bar. While he was helping her with her coat, his hand brushed along the back of her neck, raising the goose bumps on her arms.

"I almost hate to take you home and keep you to myself. You look really beautiful and I should be showing you off," he whispered in her ear as he adjusted the collar on her coat.

Bella took his hand and squeezed it as they stepped out into the early evening. He opened the door for her and before she got in, she reached up to touch his face. Three day's worth of five o'clock shadow, just the way she liked it.

"I'd rather have you keep me to yourself."

Edward was talkative on the way home, the excitement evident on his face. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning, and his energy was contagious. Bella was suddenly thinking about dresses and flowers and bridesmaids. Edward reminded her that he was in no rush, and that if she didn't want to get married right away, that was okay. Bella squeezed the hand that he was holding on his knee. Honestly, she knew it didn't matter if they got married tonight or in four years, there would be no change in her feelings for him. Her feelings would only get stronger with time.

Bella pretended to think for a moment, "well, for convention's sake, maybe we should wait a few months. June is always a nice month for weddings. Of course, fall is my favorite season. A Christmas wedding would be pretty, don't you think?"

Edward's face brightened, "that's not too long. I thought you were going to make me wait a long time."

Bella leaned her head on the back of the seat and turned her head to look at him, "At first, I thought about having it in June, but you know what? The weather is so perfect during late September that maybe that would be a good time."

He looked surprised, "at first? Just how long have you been thinking about this?"

Laughing, Bella replied, "oh, about a half hour."

Edward laughed too, "what do you think your family will say when you tell them that you're engaged to a man you've been with for about a month?"

"I don't know. I'm sure they'll be concerned, but as long as I'm confident, no one will say anything…to my face. They'll talk about it when I'm not around," Bella shook her head and chuckled, "what about your family?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, "my dad won't care. He loves you already. You know what he told me when they were over on Sunday?"

"Hmm?"

"He said that he saw you smile at me once and that you reminded him of my mom," Edward's voice was quiet when he said this and Bella was very sure that this seemingly insignificant fact held great importance for him. He continued, "and my mom likes you too," he looked at Bella out of the corner of his eye, "she told me during my regression last week."

Bella was not surprised, but asked, "what did she say about me?"

"Same thing my dad said, "don't mess this one up."

Bella laughed at him, not sure whether he was completely telling the truth or not. Maybe he was paraphrasing a little bit. She knew that his few minutes with his mom last week had been important to him, and probably intensely private. She knew he would tell her when he was ready.

They had left a light on in the living room when they left, and as they pulled in the driveway, the house looked warm and inviting, however warm and inviting turned to wary and nervous when Bella turned the door knob to enter the house.

"It's unlocked," she told Edward who was standing on the step below her with a hand on her waist.

The hand tightened a bit, and he looked over her shoulder, "what? I locked it when we left."

"I know, I double checked it."

Edward scooted in front of her, "stay behind me," he warned.

He slowly pushed the door open and Bella peered around his arm. The living room looked absolutely normal. Nothing was out of place. The furniture stood as it should, a new Rolling Stone Magazine still thrown haphazardly onto the coffee table. Edward stepped inside, and she stepped with him. The kitchen looked okay, too. Bella's laptop sat closed on the table, that day's mail was stacked neatly on the kitchen counter next to Bella's keys. Edward held her hand, but kept her behind him as he inspected first the spare room, then her bedroom. Nothing out of place in these rooms, either.

"What's going on?" Bella murmured.

"Maybe we just forgot?"

They were still standing in the doorway of her bedroom and her eyes scanned the room. When she glanced at her dresser, she let out a little cry. Her grandparent's picture was face down. Edward followed Bella this time as she went to stand it up again. Bella was glad she picked it up by the stand on the back of the frame, because when she did, the glass front stayed on the top of her dresser, in hundreds of tiny bits and pieces.

Bella gasped a little, at first, before she realized the picture was okay.

Edward put his hand on her shoulder, "Bell, I'm so sorry!"

She nodded, "it's okay, it's just the frame. The picture itself is fine."

"I wonder how it fell over in the first place," Edward wondered, as he looked around the room again.

"I don't know. But the glass wouldn't have broken like this if it just fell over, would it? I mean, it looks like it's been smashed."

Edward didn't say anything, he just shook his head. From the expression on his face, Bella could tell that he was worried.

Bella carefully cleaned up the glass and took the picture out of the ruined frame so that she could throw that away, too. As she pulled the picture away, a small slip of paper fell out from behind it. Curiously, she picked it up and read,

"Isabella, don't forget. Some things are meant to be and not even death can stop them. Love, Grandma"

She held the note, staring at the words Gram had said, not so long ago. Bella could hear Edward making another round through the house. His gun had not been disturbed, since it was locked up in the case on the top of the refrigerator, and he was taking it out of the case now, checking to make sure it was loaded.

She went to stand next to him by the table, "Edward look at this. It was behind Gram's picture."

He took the note from her and read it, "what does this mean?" he asked.

"She said those same exact words to me, just before Christmas, I think it was. I was at her house, and she noticed that I hadn't been myself," Bella had never admitted to Edward how depressed she had been during the two months from Thanksgiving to Gram's funeral when she didn't see him. She felt like it made her seem…desperate…or weak. "You know, I couldn't stop thinking about you, and I didn't know if I would see you again…I think she knew. At the time I thought she was talking about Grandpa, but now, I'm thinking it was something else."

Edward clicked the gun's safety on, and turned to put his arms around her, "I think she was a very wise woman."

Bella nodded, and felt her shoulders shake. She hadn't realized she was crying. Bella had been so caught up in being with Edward for the last few weeks, that she hadn't realized how much she missed Gram. It was hitting her now and more than anything she wanted to be able to go see her for lunch tomorrow, and take Edward with her. Edward held her tightly while she cried, and eventually, she pulled back a little and wiped her eyes.

Bella looked at Edward and his face was concerned, "you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just really miss her sometimes."

His face was sympathetic, "I know. I truly understand."

Bella knew that he was talking about his mother. She nodded, and after he leaned down to kiss her, they returned to their previous pursuits. Bella took a more recent picture of Rose, Jasper, and herself out of its frame and replaced it with Gram's so that the older one wouldn't get ruined.

Edward was standing in the doorway of the bedroom watching Bella do this and when she was finished, she looked at him and smiled, "good as new."

"Good as new," he repeated, and he took her hand and led her to the living room. He sat her on the couch and handed her a glass of wine. Bella looked at him, surprised. She didn't keep wine in the house on a regular basis. He shrugged, "it's still your birthday, and I was thinking that in the event you said yes, we would need to celebrate."

"In the event I said yes…" she repeated, scoffing, "like I would be able to say no!" But the sudden reminder of gifts had her jumping out of her seat, "oh, I forgot! There's something that I want to show you."

Bella left the room for a moment and returned with her gift for Edward. She sat next to him on the couch. "Now before I give this to you, let me warn you that it's not done yet." After a second, she handed him the manilla envelope that she had stowed the manuscript in.

Edward smiled and shook the envelope a little, "you want me to do your taxes?" He joked.

Laughing, she said, "no."

Edward laughed too, until he opened the envelope and saw what was inside. His forehead wrinkled as he frowned, and he picked up the thick packet of papers.

"It's not perfect," she told him, "but it's almost a complete rough draft, and I just started it a couple weeks ago."

He read the first page, and then the second and understanding spread over his face, "is this us?" he held up the two pages that he had finished in his hand.

Bella nodded, a little embarrassed, and took a drink for something to do. He didn't speak. Instead he put his wine glass down and sat back against the couch, holding out an arm so that Bella could cuddle into his side. He continued to read, and she read along with him, mentally making corrections that she would have to fix later.

After awhile, Bella got up to refill their glasses and Edward looked up to smile his glowing smile at her. "This is really good."

She blushed a little at the compliment and, leaving the wine bottle on the coffee table, settled back into his side. When he finished, he stacked the papers back up into a perfect pile and slid the manuscript back into the envelope, then he turned to face her.

"Wow. I'm really impressed. I can't wait to see what happens."

Bella giggled a little, "we'll have to wait awhile for that, right?"

Edward put a his fingers under her chin to lift her face to his, he leaned in, but before he kissed her, he said, "no. I know exactly how this ends. 'They will live happily ever after'." His right hand found Bella's left and touched the diamond that was settled on her ring finger.

He hadn't moved, so Bella closed the distance between their lips, moving the fingers on her left hand to entwine them with his. She pulled his right arm around her back and melted into him as his left hand moved from her chin to rake though the hair at the back of her neck. Her hands ran up his arms and around his shoulders, seemingly of their own accord. Bella opened her eyes, and saw that his were open, watching her. She felt his mouth turn up into a smile, but he didn't stop. His kisses were soft on her lips, her cheeks, her neck and occasionally she would hear a soft sigh escape from the back of his throat. Bella's desire for him was almost reaching the boiling point, and those sighs intensified the ache inside. She didn't want to waste the two seconds it would take to walk to the bedroom, so when he pushed her back on the couch, she didn't protest.

There was no better feeling in the world to Bella than the weight of Edward's body on hers. She instinctively threaded her legs around his and began thrusting her hips against his thigh, sighing loudly when she felt his erection thrusting against her own.

Edward broke the kiss momentarily, only long enough to pull Bella's sweater over her head. As soon as it was off, he slowly pulled her bra strap down her arm, following its path with his lips and tongue. In to time, her bra was off as well, and Edward licked her already hard nipple before blowing cool air onto it, making it stand up even more. Bella moaned and arched her chest towards him. Immediately, Edward dove back in, sucking as much of her breast into his mouth as he could while his hands began to wander around her thighs and under her skirt.

As soon as she could stand no more, Bella unbuttoned Edward's shirt, giving up three quarters of the way down and ripping it open, popping off the last two buttons. Edward stopped his ministrations and looked from his shirt to Bella, wide eyed. She just shrugged and giggled.

"God, that was hot!" He exclaimed before attacking her mouth, exploring it with his tongue. His thrusts became more insistent and his hands became slightly rougher. Their moans were getting louder. Edward quickly sat up to remove his own pants while Bella took those free moments to shed the rest of her clothes, as well.

Bella expected him to hover over her again, but was surprised when he sat back against the couch instead. With a soft smile on his face, Edward reached for her and pulled her to straddle him. "I want to see you, love," he murmured softly.

Hearing him groan loudly as she sank down on him was Bella's undoing. Her pace became frantic and Edward didn't seem to know where to put his hands. Or his eyes. For a moment he watched her breasts bouncing in front of his eyes, then he moved his eyes down to where they were joined. As his eyes moved down her body, his hands moved up, from her hips, over her breasts, to her face. He roughly pulled her face to his for an intoxicating kiss.

"Oh fuck, Bella...so good," he moaned against her neck. Bella was panting and he could feel her hot breath against his ear and face. "God, I love you Bella, I love you..."

As he spoke, Edward moved his hand between them and began to rub her aching nub. Bella was so close to her orgasm, just teetering on the edge of the abyss. "I love you too, baby," her voice was higher pitched than normal, almost a scream. "So close Edward...yes! Yes! Yes!" She chanted as she fell. Edward found his release moments later, grunting Bella's name into her hair.

Morning came early the next day. Bella wasn't sure what woke her up, and before she opened her eyes, she was confused at first as to where she was. Her back ached, and her pillow wasn't under her head. She knew this wasn't her bed. As consciousness came back to her, she began to remember last night and that she was on the living room floor, covered with the quilt from the back of her chair, with Edward sleeping beside her. Bella opened her eyes to see him still asleep. She watched him sleeping for a moment. As he slept, he smiled slightly, and she wondered what he was dreaming about. The room was still dark, except for the light that was coming from over the stove in the kitchen. The clock on the DVD player said it was only six in the morning. She was too achy to get comfortable, so she knew that more sleep was out of the question. She got up quietly, trying not to wake Edward. However, as she was pouring water into the coffee pot, she heard him stirring. Bella pushed the 'brew' button, went back over to where he lay and resumed her place next to him. He was just opening his eyes and for a second he looked as disoriented as Bella had felt. He smiled at her, though, as last night flooded back into his mind.

"Hey," he greeted her, "how long have you been up?"

She leaned in and kissed him, "not long. I was too achy to get back to sleep, so I started coffee."

He stretched and grimaced, "me too. I used to be able to sleep on the floor all the time when I was a kid." As he spoke, he put an arm around her back and moved closer to her, putting his chin on the top of her head, and rubbing her hair and back, "what time is it?"

Bella snuggled closer, " just after six."

Edward groaned, "I don't want to go to work today…"

She sighed, "I don't want you to, either. You have to go in at your normal time?"

She felt him nod his head, "yeah. I've been taking too much time off lately. You're a bad influence."

"I do what I can," Bella grinned.

Suddenly, he stopped rubbing her hair and pulled back to look at her, "will you be careful for me today? I don't know what happened last night, but it's making me nervous."

Bella thought about it seriously for a while, then nodded, "I'll go to Rose's and work. Do you want me to meet you somewhere for lunch?"

His face brightened at the suggestion, "sure, I'll let you know where I'll be around noon, and we can meet up." He kissed her then, and they picked up where they left off last night.

As promised, Edward called Bella exactly at noon, "I just left a job in Port Angeles, do you want to meet me at the McDonald's on Washington St.? My next job is just up the street from there."

Bella happily agreed. She was always glad when she was going to be able to see Edward in the middle of the day, "you know, Rose wasn't at all surprised when I showed her the ring this morning," Bella accused.

He laughed, "oh, that's right, I forgot to tell you about it, didn't I?"

"Yes, and she wouldn't tell me. She said you would tell me."

"Okay, at lunch. Everything going okay today?"

Bella knew what he meant, "so far, yes. Nothing strange going on."

"Okay, good. I'll see you in a few minutes then."

"I'll be there. Love you." Bella hung up the phone and shut down the computer.

Rose was just coming out of the bathroom where she was getting ready for work. When Bella arrived there, earlier that morning, Rose met her in the kitchen, her face excited. Her eyes immediately flickered to her left hand and when she saw the engagement ring, she squealed and grabbed Bella's hand, pulling it up to her face.

"I knew you'd say yes! You guys are just perfect together! When's the date?"

Bella had looked at her, shocked, "you don't seem surprised…"

"I'm not…he didn't tell you about the ring?"

"Um, no. We had a few strange things going on at the house last night, and he must have forgotten…" Bella then proceeded to fill her in on the unlocked door, the smashed picture frame, and the note behind the picture.

"Were you talking to someone?" Rose asked her now, wrapping her hair in a towel.

Bella held up her phone, "Edward called. I'm going to meet him for lunch."

"Oh, good. I feel bad not hanging out with you when you come here."

Bella laughed, "don't worry about it. I feel bad about ignoring you and working on my book, so it works out."

Bella waited in her car for a few minutes for Edward, but he showed up quicker than she had expected him to. They paid for their food and sat down. She tried to pay attention to calories when she ordered, since she was going to have to be seen in a wedding dress in just a few months.

"So, I've been thinking," Edward began as he sat down, "I was looking at the calendar at work and September 26th is a Saturday. That might be a good time for our wedding."

Bella smiled, glad that he was as excited as she was, "that sounds perfect. September 26th it is. So, are you going to tell me about this ring? Last night you said it wasn't just from you."

He shook his head, feigning disappointment, "I'm surprised you don't recognize it."

Bella stopped eating and studied it for a moment. The thin silver band had turned slightly and the round diamond on the top had slipped to the side of her finger. Suddenly seeing it this way reminded her of how Gram's ring had constantly slid around on her finger after she lost too much weight when she was sick a couple of years ago.

Bella sucked in a breath, "is this Gram's?"

Edward smiled brightly, "she gave it to your dad and told him that you were to get this ring when you got married. She knew you would love the gesture."

Bella's food was forgotten, and her vision was blurry with tears as she tried to stare at the ring. She wiped her eyes and looked at Edward, "you talked to my dad about marrying me?" She whispered. Edward nodded. "Thank you," she murmured.

He took her left hand and kissed it, "don't thank me," he said, "thank your grandmother and Charlie."

"This makes it even better. And I didn't think that was possible," Bella sighed.

Edward and Bella finished their food quickly, but happily, and all too soon, it was time for Edward to get back to work. They stood between his van and her car and he held both her hands in his. It was foggy out, and it was a thick, wet fog that dampened her hair, but she didn't notice. What she did notice was a thin sheet of paper tucked under the windshield wiper of Edward's work van, and flapping slightly in the breeze.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing.

Edward turned and pulled the paper out. It was damp, but still legible, apparently, because he read it, rolled his eyes, and sighed. Without a word, he handed it to Bella. His expression was irritated.

_ Hi Edward,_

_I was just driving by and I saw your van. Just wanted to say HI. I hope to talk to you soon. Love, Victoria_

Bella didn't say anything, but she handed him the note. He angrily balled it up in his fist and stepped to the sidewalk to throw it away in the trash can by the door to the restaurant.

"I still wonder if she's following you," Bella complained.

He shook his head, "I don't know what to do…she's just not getting it." As he spoke, Bella reached up with her left hand to brush back some hair that had blown across her face. His eyes spied her ring, and he grabbed her hand, nodding, "I know just what to do," he mumbled. Bella looked mystified and he quickly explained, "I'll call her and tell her that I asked you to marry me. That should prove that I won't be taking her back. I'll have to call from the office, though, because I don't want my new number to show up on her caller ID. Did I tell you she called there looking for me yesterday?"

Bella frowned, "she did? Why?"

"I wasn't in, but the message said that she was worried because she tried to call me on the cell and it wasn't working," his usually kind eyes held a hint of anger.

"I bet she thinks I made you change your number."

He shook his head, disgustedly, and she was glad when he finally smiled again. Even if the smile did have a touch of irritation in it. He looked at his watch, "I've gotta go. And you have to get out of this weather, you'll get sick," he touched her damp hair.

"I'll be fine," she protested, "I'll see you later. Be safe." And she reached her head up to kiss him.

He kissed her back, "you be safe too," he finally said. And he quickly got into his van and sped away.

Bella spent the rest of the afternoon at Rose's, and got home in time to start dinner before Edward got home. She was standing at the sink, washing the few dishes that were in there when she noticed a small, green car slowly driving past the house. The sky was almost dusk, and she couldn't see the person driving, but it looked as if the person's head was turned towards her house. Bella was sure it was just someone out for a drive. Many times during nicer weather, people would drive by and slow down to gawk at Grandma's beautiful old farmhouse. Maybe it was someone who thought her cute little house looked comfortable and inviting, nestled between the apple trees, like she did.

However, when Bella saw that same car going past again, just a few seconds later, with the person's silhouetted head, once again turned in her direction, she began to feel uncomfortable. Edward would be home soon, but her eyes drifted to the top of the refrigerator, where that disturbing gun was nestled in its box. She had just finished the dishes, so she quickly let the water out of the sink and moved away from the window. Bella grabbed her cell phone off the counter and moved into her bedroom. Keeping the light off, she was able to look out of the blinds on her bedroom window without being seen.

It was growing darker by the minute, but she still recognized the shape of the green car when it appeared again. This time it stopped directly out from Bella's front door. She could still see the silhouette of the driver, and the head was definitely turned in Bella's direction.

She sent a text to Edward, but didn't want to alarm him. She simply said, "are you on your way?"

Edward replied, "yes, finally. I just got off the phone with Victoria. I'll tell you about it when I get there."

Bella didn't text back. She didn't want to take her eyes off the car that was still idling in front of her house. It only took Edward twenty minutes to get there from the office, so he shouldn't be any longer than seventeen or eighteen minutes. She kept her eyes on the car, just in case anyone got out. The car sat out there for almost five whole minutes, the driver not moving, just staring in her direction. When the car finally moved, Bella started breathing again, however her breathing stopped when it pulled into her driveway. If it had been light out, she would have been able to see the driver, but darkness had finally fallen, and all she could see were headlights. The headlights moved away from her as the car backed out of her driveway and disappeared down the road. Bella was still staring out the window a few minutes later when Edward's van came up the road and pulled into the driveway. She felt a shiver of relief roll down her spine, and she hurried out to the kitchen and opened the door for him. He smiled when he saw her standing in the doorway, but the smile faded when he saw the expression on her face.

"What is it?" he asked, immediately looking around the house behind her.

Bella pulled him into the house and locked the door behind him before she sat him at the kitchen table and told him about the car driving back and forth and then pulling to a stop in the middle of the road in front of the house.

His face was somewhat worried, but mostly angry. He stood up and paced around the kitchen, "I don't know what's going on. I don't like you being here during the day alone. If this doesn't stop, you're going with me to work next week."

Bella didn't protest and she didn't complain. She was too freaked out. She just nodded. Edward knelt down on the floor in front of her chair so he could look in her eyes. He took both of her hands, "we're going to figure this out, okay? No one's going to hurt you. I promise."

He was so sincere and determined, that Bella couldn't help but feel better. The nervousness that she had felt before he got home was disappearing fast, and she leaned forward to put her arms around his neck. She put her chin on his shoulder. "I know. I trust you. It was kind of scary, though. I wish I knew who it was."

"What did you say the car looked like?"

"It was a small green car. Kind of square, like an older type sedan."

He looked thoughtful and shook his head, "I don't know who it could be," he mumbled, sitting back in his own chair.

He helped her put dinner on the table, and as they were eating, he told her about his phone call to Victoria.

"As soon as she picked up, she started gushing about how worried she had been because she couldn't get a hold of me on my cell. I told her I had my number changed so she would stop harassing me. I don't think she even heard that part, because she was on to asking me how lunch was at McDonald's and did I get her note. I finally had to raise my voice. I'm glad the receptionist was gone for the day. I wouldn't want anyone to hear me talking like that."

"What did you say?" Bella asked. She remembered how he had sounded when he was shouting at Mr. Black during his past life regression, and suppressed a shudder.

"I told her to leave me the hell alone. I told her that I had asked you to marry me, and that we are engaged, and that I would not be coming back to her. I said I didn't want to talk to her on the phone, and I didn't want any notes left on my van, and if I saw her on the street, I would cross to the other side, just to avoid her."

Bella almost felt sorry for her, "harsh," she commented.

He nodded, "I hated to be that way, but it had to be done. She was calling too much and leaving notes on my van was just ridiculous."

Bella nodded too, "do you think she got the point?"

"I hope so. She said, 'oh, I didn't realize you were that serious about her. If that's the way you feel, _you_ won't hear from me again.' I didn't like the way she said _you_. As if someone else would be hearing from her," and he gestured at Bella with his fork.

Bella stiffened, a thought suddenly occurring to her, "you don't think…what kind of car does she drive?"

"She drives a white SUV," but he had stopped eating and was looking at her intently.

"Do you think she knows anyone with a small green car?" Bella wondered.

"I have no idea what kind of cars her friends drive," he sounded frustrated.

Edward didn't let Bella out of his sight that night, not that her house is so huge that she could be out of his sight for longer than a minute. Just before bed, he donned his boots and jacket and trekked out into the freezing weather to walk around the house and make sure everything was as it should be. He came back in the house, shook the snow off of himself and shrugged, "Everything looks fine out there, to me," but he pulled the gun case off the refrigerator, unlocked it and put it on the floor just under the edge of his side of the bed.

It took Bella a long time to get to sleep that night. Edward didn't sleep well, either. Bella saw him get up a few times and peek out the blinds at the night. He must have been responding to something she couldn't hear, because all she could hear was the wind blowing across the eaves, making an ominous moaning sound. Bella must have fallen asleep at some point during the night, because she had the snake dream again. She had an armful of apples, and was trying to climb down from the tree, but that snake kept nipping at her ankles. He would slither away and she would just about get to the ground, but he would appear out of nowhere and she would have to yank her foot back up to keep it from his sharp, venomous fangs. The dream felt like it lasted for hours, Bella trying to outsmart the snake, and the snake always figuring out her plan. No matter what she tried, he was always inches away from sinking his poison into her skin. She heard Edward calling her name in the distance, and she wanted to call out to him, to tell him to stay away, or the snake would get him, too, but her voice wouldn't come out. She couldn't make a sound above a whisper. "Edward, no!" Bella shrieked in a whisper, "watch out for the snake!" She peered down from the tree, into the snake's open mouth. But her eyes slid past the dripping fangs, to the snake's abnormally long body and tail, and there was Edward, wrapped up in its horrendously long coils, white, lifeless, dead. Bella screamed and this time the sound came out loud and clear. So loud, that it woke her up, and she burst into consciousness, wide-awake and sweating. She was still screaming when she saw Edward's face above hers, his eyes wide and full of fear.

"Bella, wake up," he said urgently, "it's okay. It was just a dream. Shh, shh, it's okay," his hand was brushing her hair back, soothing her.

Bella was breathing and sweating like she had just run a marathon, and her pulse was thudding in her ears. She looked wildly around the room, then back to Edward's anxious face. She began to relax slightly, as the dream faded away. She put her arms around Edward and pulled him down, close to her. She didn't want him to be even an inch away.

"Are you all right?" He whispered in her ear.

Bella exhaled in a shudder, "yes. It was just the snake dream again. But this time, I looked down…from the tree and it had you…wrapped in its…coils, and you were…dead," she shuddered again, as she remembered his white, dead skin.

He squeezed her closer and said, "it's okay. I'm right here."

Bella clung to him for a long time, but neither fell asleep again. They lay quietly, listening to each other breathing until the sun came up. They got up too, and made breakfast.

As they were eating, Edward tried to change the subject to a happier one. He smiled as brightly as he could and said, "so where do you want to have the wedding? We should probably decide, since we only have seven months."

The subject easily pulled her away from the nerve-wracking thoughts about her dream and about the mysterious stranger who had been watching her house, "I don't know. I've always wanted to get married outside, but I don't know if we would be able to trust the weather."

Edward nodded, "I was thinking, maybe we could do it on the lawn at Rose's. The trees on the lawn are lined up perfectly to make an aisle for you to walk down."

Bella smiled wistfully, "just like Jake and Marie?"

He raised an eyebrow, "they got married there?"

"I think that's what Gram said," Bella replied, trying to remember the story.

"Or we could do it at your church..."

"Do you want to go on a honeymoon?"

He shrugged, "is there any place in particular you want to go? I could stay here, as long as you're here with me."

Bella smiled as she ate, "you always know what to say. I bet you can really pick up girls at the bar, huh?"

His face turned slightly red and an embarrassed smile spread across his face, "I never really went out _trying_ to pick up girls."

Laughing, Bella got up to clear the table, knowing full well that he could pick up any girl he had a mind to.

The weekend was uneventful. No more mysterious cars outside the house, nothing passing by the window through the backyard, and since they had changed their cell numbers, no unwanted phone calls for either of them. They skipped lunch at Carlisle's on Sunday, instead opting to stay in bed. It was cold for March, and the high temperature that day was supposed to be five degrees. Couple the temperature with the howling wind, and a nice warm bed seemed doubly inviting.

XXXXX

**Dun dun dun... the plot thickens! **

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**I know this update came early, but this week I have a paper due and a final exam in one of the classes I'm taking, so I don't know if I'll get to update until next week.**

**This week's recc: "His Personal Assistant" by NorthernLights 17. If you like Bossward and Assistantella, this is a great one for you. Very Hot!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well this is the end, my friends. Thank you to everyone who has read and a special thank you to those who have reviewed. **

**Since both chapter 10 and the epilogue were so short, I just combined them to make one last update.**

**For the last time...I don't own...Stephenie Meyer owns. **

XXXXX

Throughout the weekend, Edward's nerves had calmed and he was himself again, but Monday morning brought a whole new round of nervousness to him and by the time he left for work, he was so agitated that Bella had a hard time convincing him to go, that she would be fine, and if she felt even a little nervous or threatened, she would go to Rose's.

Bella's schedule had been so off for the last week that it seemed good to get back to a normal morning. She put the book about Edward and herself on hold to finish up the Civil War story. She was nearing the end and all she needed were a few uninterrupted days to concentrate. She might even be able to finish the rough draft before the end of the week.

As soon as Edward reluctantly left the house, after kissing her a thousand times and begging her to stay alert, she sat down, only to get up again three minutes later to find her ringing cell phone. She was so sure it was Edward, she answered it without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" But to Bella's surprise, there was no answer except for the sound of an agitated, angry breathing. She could hear it clearly. It sounded like whoever was calling was breathing through his or her teeth.

"Hello? How did you get my number?" Bella was a little nervous. However, the nervousness made it easier to be angry. She wanted to live in her house without being afraid to be alone. When there was no answer, she almost shrieked, "Answer me!" When there was no answer again, Bella hung up the phone. She wished for one of the older house phones with a receiver that you could hang up, so she could slam it down, angrily. Pushing a button hard with your thumb just doesn't have the same effect.

Bella was too angry to sit. She got up for a few minutes and paced around the house, talking to herself, "who do they think they are? This is my house and my life! What is going on?"

As she made a pass through her living room, she looked out the window. The wind had finally ceased and it was warming up a little bit. Water was dripping from the icicles that hung from the eaves. As she looked at the dripping water, something passed by on the outside again. She was looking straight on this time, and did not see it out of the corner of her eye. It was bright colored and it looked like…hair? Almost like the top of someone's head.

The anger that had started to ease as Bella paced crashed through her again and she stormed out the door to confront whoever it was, without taking the time to put on a jacket or boots. She sprinted around the corner of the house, in the correct direction to intercept the person, but she took a full lap around the house, and no one was to be seen. She scratched her head, looked around, and went back around her house in the other direction. This time she not only looked around for a person, but she also checked the ground near the house. Sure enough, she could see footprints in the snow, close to the house. Just under the living room window and Bella's east bedroom window, there was a collection of footprints, as if someone had been standing there, or walked away and came back. But she saw no one.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she texted Rose as she went back into the warm house.

"What are you doing today?" Bella sat back down at the table and started clicking away at her keyboard, trying to push the angry and somewhat fearful thoughts out of her head.

Rose's reply came about five minutes later, "just got up, you?"

"Can you come down for awhile? I need company."

"Sure"

Within ten minutes, Bella heard a knock on the door, and before she could get up to answer it, Rose came in wearing sweatpants, with her hair pulled back into a pony tail, "you didn't even give me a chance to shower," she complained.

Bella ignored her complaint, "someone has been looking in my windows."

That statement startled her, "what?"

Bella nodded, "first thing after Edward left, someone called and didn't answer. I could hear breathing this time, though. After I hung up on them, I saw the top of someone's head go past the window. And I saw it full on, not just out of the corner of my eye. When I went out to check it out, there was no one there, but I saw a bunch of footprints outside my living room and bedroom window."

Bella saw Rose shiver, "did you see the footprints walking away in any direction?"

She shook her head, "no. Either the person disappeared into thin air or they brushed the snow over their footprints. I don't know how they could move so fast, though. I ran right outside."

"Did you call your dad?"

"No. What would I say? His cop mind would think those footprints are mine, since they're not leading to or from anywhere."

She nodded, conceding, "I guess."

Bella thought about it for a moment, "if it gets worse or happens again, I will though. It wouldn't hurt to have some kind of record of it just in case something happens."

When Edward called at lunch, Bella didn't tell him about the 'incident'. She did tell him that Rose was over and he was pleased to hear it. She would wait and tell him later. No reason to worry him needlessly. Bella was thinking about riding along with him on his calls tomorrow, too. That would make both of them feel better.

Rose and Bella spent the afternoon making wedding plans. Rose didn't think it was weird at all for Bella and Edward to be engaged so soon, and she promised to stick up for them when the rest of the family gossiped. Bella decided to have the ceremony at church, but they would hold the reception outside at Rose's house, as long as it was warm enough. Rose seemed almost as excited as Bella.

There were no more calls, and although she kept her eyes on the living room window all afternoon, there were no more heads running past, so she wasn't worried when at about four, Rose said she had to go home to get ready for work. Edward would be home in a couple of hours, so she could write for a while, then get dinner started. As she was unplugging her laptop so she could take it over to the couch, the silence in the house suddenly seemed extreme and she felt a chill run through her. It couldn't possibly hurt anything, so she took Edward's gun case from the top of the refrigerator and unlocked it. She didn't take it out, but left it open, sitting on the table while she moved her laptop to the couch to work for a while.

There was not a sound in the house, except for the keys on the keyboard. Occasionally, Bella would say a phrase or a word out loud to hear how it would sound in the context of her story. She paused in her typing, and looked off into space to try to determine the structure of her next sentence when a flash of movement caught her attention. Bella's eyes focused on the TV screen and in the reflection she saw a figure behind her, its hands raised with something between them, getting ready to slip whatever it was over her head. Adrenaline shot through her and she got her fingers up in time to get them in between a thick piece of what felt like panty hose and her neck. However, the very tips of her index and middle fingers weren't strong enough to pull the panty hose away, and the person behind Bella had their position above her as an advantage, and the air to her lungs got cut off. She felt her laptop slip off of her knees on to the floor. She coughed and gagged. Black spots began to swim in front of her wide eyes.

Suddenly, the panty hose got tighter, and she heard a voice by her ear, "he's mine, and when you're dead, he'll be mine again." Bella recognized the voice, the coldness, the hardness of it. Victoria.

The fight or flight reflex took over and Bella felt another shot of adrenaline in her veins. Edward would never belong to Victoria. She had her chance. The panty hose jerked tighter and Victoria whispered a laugh into Bella's ear. The laughing abruptly stopped when Bella jerked her head backwards with all her strength and slammed it into Victoria's face. Bella felt a sharp pain rip through her head, and for a moment, the room swam around her. She heard a cracking sound, but it didn't come from her head. Bella was pretty sure it came from Victoria's nose, because she let loose with an unearthly scream and the panty hose loosened from around Bella's neck. She quickly got the rest of her hands between her noose and her neck and stood up, her lungs gasping for oxygen.

Bella turned to face her for the first time, and sure enough, it was Victoria, her hard blue eyes burning into Bella with a hatred that defied explanation. There was blood running from her face and dripping onto the carpet. A few strands of her slick red hair were stuck in the thick red liquid and Bella realized that the bright thing she had seen out the window was indeed the top of someone's head, _Victoria's_ head. Shrieking, she put one hand on the back of Bella's couch and hurtled over it, lunging over the coffee table and into Bella, pushing her back into the fireplace so quickly Bella couldn't move out of the way. Luckily, she didn't hit her head on the red bricks, but they were rough, and Bella felt them rip at the skin of her arms and lower back where her t-shirt had raised slightly. Victoria struggled to get her hands around Bella's throat, but Bella was able to get her hands on Victoria's chest first and push her away, just far enough so that she couldn't wrap her hands tight enough around Bella's throat to do any damage. As Bella pushed at her chest, Victoria struggled against her and bared her teeth with a spine tingling hiss, reminding Bella of her snake dream. Bella knew that Victoria would use anything at her disposal to kill her, including her teeth. Bella looked around furiously to find something to defend herself with, but found nothing. She kept the fireplace tools in the closet and there was no lamp on the end table. Bella's mind went back to the gun, sitting in the open case on the table. Instantly she had a goal. But the adrenaline made her mind work quickly, and she realized that she would have to try to keep Victoria's attention away from the gun, so she wouldn't try to get to it herself.

Victoria's wild, out of control eyes wheeled around the room, also searching for a weapon, Bella imagined, and she found it hard to believe that Victoria came here armed only with a pair of panty hose. Her breathing was rapid and shallow and she spoke again, her crazed, shrieking voice sending chills down Bella's spine, "I'm going to kill you, then move on to the rest of your family, and if you won't die, then I'll kill him! You'll never have him!"

The threat of death against her family and Edward gave Bella the jolt that she needed. Bella pushed Victoria off of her, backwards and off balance, Victoria landed on her back in the middle of the coffee table, breaking it in two, the wood splintering around her. Bella heard her moan in pain and she took the opportunity to sprint to the kitchen, where the coveted gun lay on the table. Before she could reach it though, a hand reached out, grabbed a fistful of hair and jerked her backwards. Bella fell into Victoria and they both fell to the ground. Bella was on her stomach, and Victoria quickly straddled Bella's back. She grabbed Bella's hair once more, slamming her forehead into the ground. Black spots once again clouded Bella's vision, but she fought against them, and grunting, heaved herself up onto her hands and knees, throwing Victoria off balance and falling sideways onto the floor.

Before Victoria was able to right herself, Bella straddled her this time and pinned Victoria's flailing arms under her knees. "You will not do this to us again!" Bella shouted at her as she pulled her arm back and let it swing like a wrecking ball into Victoria's already broken and bloodied nose. The struggling stopped, and her body went limp underneath Bella. The threat gone for the moment, Bella felt exhaustion tugging at her, but she hopped up quickly and grabbed the gun from its case with one hand and her cell in the other. She believed that Victoria was knocked out, and stupidly turned her back to her for just a fraction of a second. In that millisecond, Victoria had somehow regained consciousness and lunged at Bella again. She hit Bella's arms, trying to knock the possessions out of her hands. The cell phone went flying under the kitchen table, but Bella held fast to the gun. She pointed it at Victoria and pulled the trigger, Victoria's face suddenly turning into a mask of fear. But nothing happened. She tried again, still nothing. A horrible, evil smile turned Victoria's features into those of a devil, and she shrieked a laugh that could put all the demons in hell to shame. Bella felt a chill shoot down her spine. She was lunging at Bella again, trying to grab the gun. As they struggled back and forth with it, a small switch on the side caught Bella's eye. _The safety. _That's why it didn't fire. Bella knew she had to get control of it again. She again felt adrenaline coursing through her veins, and her mind began to work quickly. She braced herself against the counter and kicked her foot around behind the back of Victoria's knees. Victoria fell to the ground instantly, but she had had a tighter grip on the handle of the gun than Bella had, because the gun went with her. Immediately Bella kicked Victoria's hands as hard as she could and the gun flew out of her hands and across the room, thudding into the wall behind the door. Bella tried to run towards it, but Victoria grabbed her ankles and Bella fell forward, throwing her hands out in front of her to break her fall. She heard another cracking sound and felt a searing pain rip through her arm from her wrist to her elbow. Bella screamed, then gasped, but tried not to let it slow her down. Instead, she hoisted herself to her knees and tried to crawl to the gun. Bella knew that Victoria had gotten to her feet again…only a few more feet…

Bella reached the gun first…only by inches. She grasped it tightly in her hand, flipped off the safety and spun onto her back, all in one move. Victoria was standing above her and kicked Bella in the head just as Bella fired into the air. This time, Bella didn't see black spots. Instead, the blackness covered her eyes completely. From far away, she heard a deafening shot thunder through the house.

She struggled to hold onto consciousness. If she had missed, she couldn't pass out and allow Victoria to win again. Bella squinted her eyes and through a long tunnel she thought she could see Victoria. She had stopped moving. Her wild eyes focused on Bella, surprised. In between her eyes, just above her mangled nose was a gaping hole. Her legs buckled under her and she fell to the ground beside Bella. Edward and Bella were safe from the snake. She closed her eyes and let the blackness have her.

XXXXX

Strange images floated around in her head like short, ten-second videos, too strange to be real, too vivid to be imaginary. There were images from this life mixed with people and scenery from other lives. Jake and Edward together in a small village deep in a forest somewhere, Grandma in a small dusty town on the western frontier fighting with a snake, Victoria climbing a tree. Wheels with millions of spokes flashed in and out of these strange dreams along with halls that had millions of doors on either side. Bella wondered if she was in heaven, but she didn't see the swirling blue and purple mist that she had seen in Dr. Volturi's office.

A voice began to weave in and out of the visions, but Bella couldn't hear it enough to understand. Another voice joined it and together the voices got clearer. Rose? Was she in Bella's heaven, too? Bella didn't recognize the other voice. Slowly, a dull ache began following the voices, and Bella realized that she wasn't dead. She was asleep. Or unconscious. As the voices got clearer and louder, the pain got more intense. She couldn't tell exactly what hurt, it just felt like the pain was everywhere. She whimpered a little.

"Sounds like she's coming around," the unfamiliar voice said.

"Is she going to be in pain?" Rose sounded concerned.

Unfamiliar voice answered calmly, "most likely. I'll get the nurse to bring her some morphine."

Bella felt hands on her hair and a hand holding her hand. "Shh, it's okay. Just relax. You're okay now," Rose's voice was soft and gentle.

Bella tried to talk to her, "wh…? Ro…?" She squirmed, trying to wake up completely, but the movement made the pain shoot through her whole body again. She was able to centralize the pain now. It seemed like most of it came from her head and side, but there was some near her wrist, radiating up her arm.

"Don't try to talk. Everything's fine. Edward's on his way."

The mention of Edward shook off the remaining stupor. Using all of her strength, which didn't feel like much, Bella wrenched her eye lids back to look at Rose. Instantly, the bright fluorescent lights assaulted her eyes and she closed them quickly. She tried again, this time opening them more slowly. As soon as Bella's eyes were focused on Rose, she tried to smile, although it probably looked more like a grimace. Rose's smile was more natural and filled with relief.

"I've called everyone. Edward was all the way out near Olympia, so it's going to take him a little longer to get here. I hope he drives carefully, he was really upset."

"Vic..." Bella cleared her throat, "Victoria?"

Rose shook her head, grimly, "dead."

Guilt flooded through her, "I killed her?"

"You had to. It was you or her."

Bella closed her eyes and swallowed against the lump in her throat. She knew that what Rose said was true, but it didn't make the fact that Bella took another life any better.

She squeezed Bella's hand, "it'll be okay."

Bella nodded, wanting to believe her. There was a knock on the sliding glass door and Bella opened her eyes again to see a strange man leaning around the partially closed glass door, looking into the room. For the first time, Bella realized that she was in the hospital. She recognized the emergency room from the last time she was here with Gram when she was sick a couple of years ago.

"How is she?" He asked, smiling at Rose. The man walked into the room and Bella saw that he was wearing a dark blue policeman's uniform. Her heart sped. She didn't mean to kill Victoria, it was self defense! She wondered if she would get into trouble. But the man looked kind, with friendly blue eyes and boyish dimples. He looked at Bella sympathetically when he reached Rose's side.

He didn't wait for Rose to answer, instead, he introduced himself to Bella, "I'm Officer McCarty. How are you feeling? Do you think you would be able to answer a few questions?"

Bella frowned, "yes, but wait. How did I get here?" She looked at Rose, "what happened? Last thing I knew, I saw Victoria falling, and that's all I remember." Bella was glad to find that she could talk coherently, although her voice sounded coarse and rough.

Officer McCarty looked at Rose with what Bella thought was a somewhat awed expression, as if she were a hero. She blushed and looked away from him, back to Bella, "I was just getting into my car to go to work, when I heard the shot. I thought maybe you were practicing again, but then I remembered that last time, you had called me to warn me, so I wouldn't be worried when I heard gunshots from your house. On my way to work, I stopped by your house, just to check in, and found you both lying on the floor," she wiped her eyes as she remembered, "I thought you were dead, too."

Officer McCarty put a hand reassuringly on Rose's shoulder, "she called 911, then rode to the hospital with you. She hasn't left your side once."

Bella smiled at her, more grateful for her now than she had ever been. Officer McCarty looked like he was about to speak again, to begin his questioning, but at that moment, a nurse hurried to the door, followed by a frantic Edward. His green eyes were wide and rimmed with red. Luckily the nurse stepped to the side or she may have gotten run over. He rushed to the side of Bella's bed, ignoring Rose, the police officer, and all the tubes and wires that Bella was hooked to.

Edward gently bent over her and buried his face in her neck, "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I left you alone today, I should have known better. I'm sorry," he cried.

The other people in the room quietly slipped away to give them some privacy. Although it sent a pain ripping through her abdomen, Bella reach around and put her hand on the back of his head, "it's okay, I'm okay. It's not your fault." she tried to comfort him, but she knew that he would continue to blame himself, no matter what she said, "I think it had to happen this way."

When Bella said those words, he looked up, his eyes wet, "I should have brought you with me today. When Rose called and said that she was on the way to the hospital with you in the ambulance, I just about lost it. I drove over ninety all the way here."

Bella wiped his eyes and picked her head up off the pillow just a bit to kiss him, "I'm okay. Better now," she put her hand on the side of his face. It seemed impossible that she was almost taken away from him. He didn't move. He just stood bent over her, with his face an inch from hers. "Did Rose tell you everything else?"

He nodded, sadly, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Did she hurt you? I mean, that's a stupid question, of course she did," he lightly picked up Bella's broken wrist with one hand and leaned forward to kiss the bandage on her head. His eyes were then drawn to Bella's neck and the wrinkles in his forehead deepened.

"What?"

"Your neck is all bruised from when she tried to…tried to…" he couldn't get the words out.

Bella lifted her other hand to touch her neck and winced at the stinging pain. She hadn't noticed that before. She sighed, "I haven't seen a doctor yet or anything."

Edward looked around, "I'm sure they've been around, you've been here for almost three hours, at least."

"I have?" She hadn't had time to wonder what time it was or how long she'd been there. Bella noticed Edward shifting his weight, and gestured to the chair in the corner, "why don't you sit down? You don't look very comfortable bending over like that."

Edward pulled the chair over and sat close to her bed, sitting forward on the chair to put an arm on the pillow over her head. His fingers pulled through her tangled hair and he gazed at her face, his eyes tracing her features as though he were checking for damage. Bella tried to smile at him, but realized that she must have had a bruise on her face because she felt an ache across her cheekbone when she did so.

"I was so worried," he mumbled, but he didn't take his eyes from her face. A nurse came in asking if Bella needed any morphine, but as long as she didn't move too much the pain was almost tolerable, so she asked for Tylenol instead.

Everyone converged on Bella's room at once. Just a minute after the nurse left, Rose came back with Officer McCarty, and this time they had another officer with them. They had just started to speak, when a doctor came in to see how Bella was doing. Rose stood in the corner behind Edward, out of the way, and the officers stood outside the door, letting the doctor go first.

"How are you feeling?" He asked perfunctorily.

"I'm achy, tired, but I'll be okay. I mean, I will, won't I?"

The doctor chuckled, "yes, I think you'll be fine. You have a concussion, a broken wrist, a broken rib, lots of bruises and scrapes. We're going to keep you over night, but you should be fine."

Bella sighed, glad that there was no other internal damage besides a concussion. She vaguely remembered being kicked in the head, and realized that it could have been worse. The doctor checked her monitors, her blood pressure and temperature. He told her that if she needed any morphine or anything for pain, not to be shy. Bella nodded and he left. He was very business like.

The two officers came back in the room. The officer that Bella didn't know didn't introduce himself to her, instead he asked to speak to Edward in the hallway while Officer McCarty spoke to Bella. Edward looked at her doubtfully, as if he wasn't sure that it would be okay to leave her.

"Go ahead. I'll be fine," Bella reassured him.

Rose stepped up behind his chair, "I'll stay with her," she promised.

Edward nodded and stood up. Rose immediately took his place in the chair and held Bella's hand. Officer McCarty smiled at Rose again, and through all the commotion, Bella recognized the look in his eyes. He was definitely admiring, and Rose seemed like she didn't mind one bit, because she smiled back and blushed a little bit.

When Edward and the other officer had left the room, Officer McCarty stepped to Bella's bed on the opposite side of Rose and pulled out a little notebook. He leaned against the sink that was behind him and asked, "how are you feeling."

Bella smiled at him. He was easy to be around, "tired and sore."

"I just have a few questions if you don't mind."

"No, that's fine."

"Can you tell me what happened in your house today?"

She told him the whole story, starting with the phone call, the hair going by her window, the fight, and finally finishing with the firing of the gun.

"Why did this Victoria break into your house, do you think?"

"She wanted to try to kill me," Bella replied, her hand drifting up to touch the bruise on her neck.

"Why would she want to kill you?"

"She wanted Edward. She hated me because I was with him. They were engaged at one time and she wanted him back." The officer asked a few more questions, which Bella answered willfully, then she asked, "am I in any trouble?"

Officer McCarty sighed, "I don't know yet, but probably not. It looks like a pretty clear-cut case of self-defense to me, but there'll be an investigation and we'll have to see what that turns up. I wouldn't worry, though." His words comforted her some and she got the idea that he believed her. He stuck his head out into the hall and a few minutes later, Edward returned with the other officer. He wasn't smiling at first and that worried Bella, but when he saw her expression, he gave her a wink and he nodded his head, so she figured that everything was okay. Rose got up and gave him his seat and Bella's hand, which he gladly accepted.

The officers left, and Rose left soon after that, "as soon as they say it's okay, I'm going to go in and clean your house. It's kind of a mess and you're not going to want to go home to that."

Edward looked from Bella to Rose, "what do you mean, a mess?" Bella guessed that he hadn't realized that there was a huge struggle that went on there this afternoon.

Rose smiled and chuckled, "my cousin just threw a woman through her coffee table, that's all." She left with a quick, "I'll call you tomorrow".

Edward and Bella were alone again for the moment. His eyes were wide when he turned back to her, "you threw her through your coffee table?"

Bella rolled her eyes, "pushed is more like it."

He smiled for a moment, but as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished, "I'm sorry," he apologized again.

Bella squeezed his hand, "don't you realize that it had to happen this way? There would have been no way for you to do this for me. Remember what Dr. Volturi told us about Karma and breaking the pattern and all that?"

He nodded, "that doesn't mean I have to be glad about the fact that you were almost…killed." He voice got very quiet on the last word, and his eyes moved unwillingly to her throat again.

"But now we don't have to worry that James, or Mr. Black, or Victoria, or whoever is going to come after me. I broke the pattern, now we can be free, like that crazy lady at the grocery store said."

Edward smiled. He leaned into kiss her, his lips light against hers, as if he were afraid that he was going to hurt her. Bella put her good hand behind his head and pulled his lips to hers a little harder, ignoring the pain. As they kissed, his hand found her left hand and he toyed with the diamond that somehow was still on her finger and undamaged. When she finally let him breath, he repeated for her the words he said just the night before. It seemed like forever ago, "and we'll live happily ever after."

XXXXX

Epilogue: Eighteen months later…

"Are you sure you don't want to drive, Bell?"

Bella laughed, "Edward, for the last time, I'm fine…it's a beautiful day, and we're only going to Rose's house."

He was still concerned, "I don't know…"

She rubbed her protruding belly, "I'm almost four days overdue as it is. We've got to try _something_ to nudge him along…"

He put his hands on either side of Bella's face. In her current condition, he couldn't get his arms around her at the moment, "okay. We'll walk," he finally conceded. Then he kissed her…again…for the millionth time that day. Just like yesterday and the day before…

Edward was ecstatic when they found out she was pregnant. They got married last September, right on schedule, much to the surprise of Bella's family, some of whom predicted that they were rushing into it and wouldn't last until September. Two months later, Bella got pregnant, and here they were on the doorstep of their first anniversary, finally, after all these lifetimes, able to be together.

They held hands as they walked up the slight incline toward her cousin's house. There were already a few cars in the driveway, even though they were arriving to Rose's family barbeque early, and Bella could hear laughter and conversation drifting on the wind to her ears. She inhaled. She could smell fresh cut grass, and somewhere nearby she could hear a lawnmower. Bella glanced at Edward out of the corner of her eye and saw that he was smiling at her.

"What?" She asked.

He shrugged, "nothing. I just like to watch you. You always enjoy the little things. I like that." As he spoke he dropped her hand and draped his arm over her shoulder.

Walking up Rose's front lawn, Bella could see her standing in the shadow of one of the porch columns, talking to Emmett McCarty, the officer who had questioned her last year, and Rose's fiancee. Rose had always been a happy person, but now there was a light to her that defied explanation. Whenever you were near the two of them, you had the feeling that you were in the presence of the world's most pure, true love. Of course, she said the same thing about Edward and Bella.

Rose saw Edward and Bella as they approached and waved, "oh my God!" She exclaimed as they got closer, "you are getting huge! When are you going to pop that thing out?"

Emmett rolled his eyes, "only a woman can get away with telling another woman she's huge," he said to Edward, who laughed and agreed.

Rose smacked him playfully on his arm, "she knows what I mean!"

Bella and Edward made their rounds, hugging everyone and talking for a few minutes. Bella left Edward talking to Charlie and made her way into the house, telling him she had to use the bathroom. Not a rare occurrence these days.

Bella slowly walked down the hall, but instead of turning right to go into the bathroom, she turned left and went into Gram's old room. Rose had claimed one of the other bedrooms and she and Bella had left this one looking just the way it used to. Bella sat on the edge of the bed and looked around. There was a clock and a small jewelry box on the dresser next to a framed wedding photo of her grandparents. Rose and Bella had decided that the whole room just looked empty without it, so they made a copy of Bella's and framed it. Bella looked at the ugly old wallpaper. It was supposed to be white, but had yellowed with age, and had lines of blue flowers running from the ceiling to the floor. The room had a slightly medicinal smell to it, but one that she associated with Gram. It was quiet in the room, though she could hear the muted voices of her family outside.

Bella rubbed her belly and spoke out loud. She knew the baby could hear her, "this is my grandma's room. I'll show you when you get here. And when you get here, I'll tell you all the stories she told me. Some of them are funny, some are sad, and some will just make you smile." Bella felt a little kick on her hand from the inside of her belly, as if he or she were eager for Bella to get started. So she began, "My grandmother's aunt was name Marie. As a young woman, Marie was quite pretty. Not a beautiful girl like Eleanor Wilcox down the road, but pretty enough in her own way…

_The End_

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**Please read and review!**

**The fanfics that have owned me over the past few days are, FictionFreak 95's "Edward Cullen, Dick For Hire" and the sequel, "The Dick in Me". Actually everything FictionFreak has written is awesome. Also read "Vines". You won't be sorry.**

**I am currently working on a second part to my one shot, "Drive Me Wild", but I'm not sure when it will post.**

**I would really love to do another full length story, but don't have much time. If you know of any writers who would like to collaborate with me on a story, please PM me! **

**One idea I've had is this: In New Moon, when Bella finds the meadow, what would have happened if Laurent had actually bitten her before the wolves had gotten to him? I'm thinking that Jake would not have let the wolves kill her so they have to go find the Cullens in order to "teach" her how to be a vegetarian. Or perhaps, instead of honoring Edward's wishes (remember, she thinks he doesn't want her), she goes off and spends years trying to find him...I don't know...what do you all think?**

**Thanks for everything! Love you all!**


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